Advice for parents worried their children are spending their summer holidays online
The Find the Right Words campaign's been launched with UK summer holidays in full swing
As millions of children enjoy their summer holidays, new research suggests less than half of UK parents speak to them about how to stay safe online.
A survey's found the threat to artificial intelligence is the latest trend stressing out mums and dads.
- Three quarters (75%) of parents say they’re worried about the dangers of AI-generated deepfake audio and video
- More than a third (36%) consider them to be more of a threat than cyberbullying, hate speech and violent content
- 24% are unsure of the risks they pose to their children
Parents worried about deepfake videos
Deepfakes are computer generated videos which appear to be real, often imposing the face of a celebrity over a different body, or using their voices to give the impression they've said something that they have not.
Increasingly, experts are concerned they can be used to create abuse images and videos using pictures that have been shared innocently over the internet.
Survey finds parents not clued up about online risks
The survey also found almost half (45%) of parents don’t know how to update privacy settings on social media, and a further half (50%) are unable to change passwords to protect their children's safety online.
Less than half of parents (42%) speak to their children about how to stay safe online, with almost a third (29%) saying it’s because their kids know more about technology than they do.
Almost half (48%) said they want more support to keep their kids safe online.
Find the Right Words campaign to encourage conversation
Internet Matters, alongside children’s charity, Action for Children, Good Things Foundation and Virgin Media O2 have created free guides to help families stay safe online.
Carolyn Bunting MBE, Co-CEO at Internet Matters says: "As technology evolves, so do the challenges that parents face in keeping their children safe online. This research reveals there is a significant gap in knowledge and confidence among parents when it comes to protecting their children from such emerging online threats.
"We are proud to have collaborated on the ‘Find the Right Words’ campaign.
"Equipping parents with the tools and resources they need to have meaningful conversations with their children about online safety has truly never been more important.
"It's never too early to start these discussions, and together, we aim to help families navigate the digital world with greater confidence and security.”