Parents fear kids will see too much, be bullied online, but fail to introduce safeguards, study shows

With schools shut to most students, Aussie kids are looking at screens more than ever, and new research shows parents are worried they’ll see too much.

Exclusive: Two in three Australian parents are worried their children will be cyberbullied or exposed to inappropriate content online, a new study has found, though almost half have yet to put any security measures in place to prevent it.

The survey of more than 1000 Australians also found most children had access to at least two internet-connected devices every day, and half had already figured out their parents’ smartphone passwords.

The findings, which come at a time of unprecedented screen use by children due to school closures and social restrictions, were released by Optus today as the company revealed plans to fast-track a 250 gigabyte, $149 mobile phone family plan and cybersafety app to keep more isolated Australians online.

Parents are worried about cyber-bullying.

Optus marketing managing director Matt Williams said the company had accelerated the development of a family plan to help parents and children navigate new family and school demands, which had been particularly demanding.

“This is something we’ve had in the works for a little time now,” Mr Williams said.

“Kids absolutely want to be connected but parents worry about how they can make that a safe experience, and not end up in battles.”

The $149 plan will include four SIM cards with a shared allowance of 250GB and access to McAfee Family Safe app, allowing parents to set time limits, content restrictions, and monitor their children’s locations.

Rival Telstra axed its family sharing plans last year and, although Vodafone lets family members pool their data, the new Optus scheme will undercut similar plans by about $30.

Originally published as Parents fear kids will see too much, be bullied online, but fail to introduce safeguards, study shows