89% of Saudi parents use their gadgets to entertain their child when they travel: Kaspersky on tendencies of parenting in a digital age

While many countries slowly ease the lockdown measures that were implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic, the interest to domestic and international travel starts to increase. Kaspersky throws a light on some travel patterns of parents and their children on the go. 

According to “Responsible Digital Parenting” survey[1], 89% of the parents in Saudi Arabia use their gadgets to entertain their child when they travel. Furthermore, 40% of the respondents try to calm down their children with the help of devices, 22% - aim to gain some spare time for themselves. As a result, there is a chance that children are often left one-on-one with the gadgets. What is more, 62% of Saudi children have their own smartphone or tablet, according to the survey. Among such a big number, the majority of children were 10 years old when they first got their own device. Nevertheless, 26% of Saudi parents have not discussed safety rules on the Internet with their child. It means that the children are not always aware of how to behave themselves safely online. 

«Most parents give their children gadgets in order to entertain them, spare some time for themselves or calm down their kids. However, the they shouldn’t use digital devices uncontrolled. It has been estimated by Kaspersky, that 36% of Turkish parents would like to monitor their child’s digital life better. This can be done by limiting screen time and holding conversations, however, a security solution is needed as well» - states Andrey Sidenko, Head of Child Safety at Kaspersky Network.

In order to teach children to use their gadgets in a beneficial way, to safeguard them from inappropriate content, take the following advice:

1. Explain your child the ethics of the Internet (not to write anything offending or insulting, not to post embarrassing, indecent photos, etc.) and safety rules on the Internet (not to respond to strangers, not to publish too much private information etc.).
2. Communicate with your child. Discover his or her interests and suggest suitable materials and video bloggers. Ensure them that you are a modern parent who understands them and to whom they can always come for a piece of advice;
3. Install a reliable security solution such as Kaspersky Safe Kids to monitor your child’s activity successfully. 

[1] The “Responsible Digital Parenting” survey was implemented in conjunction with Toluna research agency in the end of 2019 – beginning of 2020. 5000 respondents from META region and Baltic states participated in the survey.