McAfee report shows that Indian children are exposed to more cyberbullying than the global average

McAfee Corp., the global security software company, released a report titled ‘Life Behind Screens of Parents, Children and Teens’ on May 12. The report is research The company’s first globally connected family study surveyed 15,500 parents or more of their 12,000 children in ten countries to find out how they connect with and protect themselves and their loved ones across the world. network. The report has revealed some shocking information surrounding Indian children and cyberbullying. The report highlighted the need for better infrastructure support for India’s cybersecurity framework.

According to the report, children in India aged 10-14 seem to be mobile faster than nearly all their peers worldwide. As can be seen in the chart, they show some of the least gains in mobile adoption as they get older, in contrast to many other countries. Both of these hints underline that India has an early mobile phone maturation period. While early mobile maturity is a good indicator of technology adoption and familiarity, it also gives rise to a higher risk online, as in other countries these children no free access to mobile phones and internet.

The chart above highlights that for Indian children, smartphone use at a younger age tends to be 7% higher than the international average. However, as children enter adolescence and then adulthood, these numbers have fallen relative to their global peers. This particular data highlights that 10-14 year olds are at the highest risk of exposure to cyberbullying and cyberattacks.

McAfee report: Indian children are more exposed to cyberbullying

The report also sheds light on this anomaly. The reason behind early maturation for Indian users when it comes to mobile maturation is not only because they are more tech-savvy but also because Indian parents and children are aware of threat is lower than the global average.

As the chart shows, globally, 57% of parents are concerned about social media abuse and bullying, while 49% of children said they are worried about the same. When it comes to India, however, these numbers are significantly lower with 47% of parents reporting their anxiety levels are 10% below the global average. Similarly, 42% of children feel a lack of concern around cyberbullying, which is 7% lower than the global average.

However, the report also highlights that cyberbullying exposure among Indian children is significantly higher than the global average. The global average is around 17% while 22% of children in India report having experienced this phase. But the problem is not limited to cyberbullying. “In addition to cyberbullying, Indian families have reported their experiences with other online threats, revealing online privacy and security issues – at a much larger rate. compared to other families worldwide,” the report states.

“Parents in India reported that their children tried to steal online accounts at 33% and 26% respectively. However, there is a slight difference in reporting here. When asked if their children have been exposed to the possibility of having their accounts stolen online, 26% of parents answered so – making India a country where this figure is consistent among parents. and children. (Other countries often have parental perceptions one or two percentage points lower than what children report), the report adds.

Worryingly, in the case of India, leaks of financial information including banking information, credit or debit card information or other identifying information are also higher than the global average. . In India, 30% of parents said they had experienced it in the past, 9% higher than the global average, while 23% of children said the same. Children in India face this risk 13% higher than the global average of 10%.

The report clearly highlights the need for a stronger cybersecurity framework in India that specifically targets children between the ages of 10 and 14 as of paramount importance.