New Zealand Parents View Cyber Safety As A Life Skill

Cyber Safety = Life Skill: Parents Rank Cyber Safety Skills Among  
Emergency Preparedness for Kids 

• Nearly 9 in 10 of New Zealanders surveyed believe it likely that kids will give away their parents’ or their families’ personal information online, a Norton study finds   
•  88% of Kiwis surveyed believe it is absolutely essential or very important to teach kids about cyber safety, on par with teaching kids emergency preparedness and basic life skills  

 AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 20 July 2022 – For parents, simply educating kids about basic life skills and emergency preparedness is no longer enough to keep them safe, in today’s more digital world. Almost 9 in 10 (87%) of New Zealanders believe kids will give their parents’ or families’ personal information away online – according to new research released by Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand from NortonLifeLock.  

While most parents of children under 18 surveyed (84%) say they regularly educate their children on how to access content online safely, 88% of Kiwis believe that teaching kids’ Cyber Safety is absolutely essential or very important, on par with preparing them for an emergency (89%) and helping them develop basic life skills (92%). 

For parents in New Zealand, educating their kids on Cyber Safety and trusting them to browse the internet unmonitored, has proven difficult to balance. The study found that while 62% of New Zealand parents of children under 18 who were surveyed trust their kids to use the web unmonitored, more than half of parents of children under 18 (52%) say their kids have done something on their smart devices without their permission. Parents most commonly report that their child has contacted someone unintentionally (24%), clicked on a suspicious link (18%) or accessed mature or age-inappropriate content (17%). Such actions could pose a risk to the families’ safety online and their personal information or identity being exposed, which could lead to financial loss. 

As cybercriminals become more sophisticated in their tricks and tactics, more than three-quarters of New Zealand adults surveyed (80%) admit that it is difficult for parents to keep children safe when they are online, and nearly all New Zealand respondents (97%) say it’s more important now than ever before for parents to talk to their children about Cyber Safety. 

“There are undoubtedly greater online safety risks for our tamariki nowadays. Being a mom of two young boys and as a digital content creator, I’ve had my fair share of online challenges to keep an eye on. As a parent, we can play an important role in helping our children learn how to use the Internet safely,“ says Nerida Cortese, digital content creator and professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars. 

“It begins with having open conversations about online behaviour so their digital experience can be safe, positive and fun; and utilising credible cybersecurity tools which can help screen out malicious cyber-attacks and alert us should our personal information be found on the dark web,” says Cortese. 

“Our research shows that 90% of Kiwis surveyed believe most children are “addicted” to screens, and the same proportion of New Zealanders (90%) say parents are relying too much on screens to keep their children busy. As cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, children could be the gateway for cybercriminals to gain access to the family’s sensitive and personal information. We want to highlight the issues this could cause, from giving away passwords to credit card details, the impact could lead to identity theft with potential financial loss. That’s why Cyber Safety is now a basic life skill, which should be taught from a young age,” says Mark Gorrie, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, NortonLifeLock. 

“We recently launched Norton Identity Advisor Plus in New Zealand to help victims of identity theft. This plan allows you to have personal information such as credit card details monitored on the dark web, so you can be notified should it be found §, as well as Restoration Support to help guide and support victims of identity theft through the identity restoration process and Identity Theft Insurance1 to help with covered related expenses.”  

To help parents keep their kids safe while online, Norton recommends parents remember to  

A.C.T: 

· Ask: Approach your children and ask them about how they use their devices. Like cyber threats, each child is unique and depending on their interests, can be exposed to different risks while online. To help protect them, get involved and invested in their online activities and ask them what they like to do and who they engage with online.   

·  Chat: It’s important to open a dialogue with your child about safe practices online. By starting these conversations early, parents can help their kids get into a better rhythm of sharing their online experiences openly and address certain challenges they might be experiencing online.  

·  Take Action: Whether by implementing house rules or putting safeguards in place such as installing cybersecurity software to connected devices at home, parents should establish a safe environment for their children to engage online. Comprehensive Cyber Safety plans include a range of features to help people with their data and device safety.     

To view the full results from the 2022 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Special Release – Home & Family, and accompanying visual assets, visit https://www.nortonlifelock.com/us/en/newsroom/press-kits/2022-norton-cyber-safety-insights-report-special-release-home-and-family/\No one can prevent all cybercrime or identity theft. 

§Dark Web Monitoring defaults to monitor your email address only and begins immediately. Sign in to your account to enter more information for monitoring. 

1Coverage is provided to eligible Insured Persons by AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited (“AIG”) under a Master Policy between AIG and NortonLifeLock Singapore Pte Ltd. Terms, conditions, exclusions and limitations apply, See the Identity Theft Insurance New Zealand Policy Information Booklet found on https://www.nortonlifelock.com/aa/en/legal/ for details. NortonLifeLock Singapore Pte Ltd. is not the insurer of the Master Policy. Neither AIG nor NortonLifeLock Singapore Pte Ltd. is licensed to provide personal financial advice about the insurance. Please obtain your own financial product advice about our services and consider the policy information booklet to determine if the coverage is right for you. 

About the 2022 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Special Release – Home & Family 

The research was conducted online in New Zealand by The Harris Poll on behalf of NortonLifeLock among 1,003 adults aged 18+, of which 282 are parents of children under 18. The survey was conducted May 16 - June 2, 2022. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, region, education, marital status, and household size to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.  

About NortonLifeLock Inc. 

NortonLifeLock Inc. (NASDAQ: NLOK) is a global leader in consumer Cyber Safety, protecting and empowering people to live their digital lives safely. We are the consumer’s trusted ally in an increasingly complex and connected world. Learn more about how we’re transforming Cyber Safety at www.NortonLifeLock.com. 

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