Kids want parental help with online risk, but fear parental freak outs
In a study, teens rarely talked to their parents about potentially risky online experiences. Parents and children often have much different perceptions of and reactions to the same online situations. Some of these situations may include cyberbullying, sexual exchanges and viewing inappropriate content online. Ref. Source 2o.
I can understand this. I have seen some parents go totally over board for what they viewed as very risky business on line. I have a rule with my kids that I would have all their passwords and lists of places they hung out in. I told them that I would check thier computers every now and then to make sure they were safe. I did not check them that much and I think they felt safer knowing that anything they did I would or could view when I wished. This included cell phone too.
Apps to keep children safe online may be counterproductive. Mobile apps designed to help parents keep their children safe from online predators may actually be counterproductive, harming the trust between a parent and child and reducing the child's ability to respond to online threats, conclude two new studies. Source 6x.