For more than half of families in Switzerland, children’s internet use is a bone of contention. (symbolic image)
Keystone
Children’s screen time causes frequent or occasional arguments in 55% of families. 46% of parents find it difficult to enforce the agreed times. 51% of them find it difficult to restrict certain platforms and apps.
In short: smartphone use divides many families with children aged between six and 17. This is the conclusion of the Cyber Worry Monitor published by insurance group Axa on Tuesday. The survey was conducted by the opinion research institute Sotomo.
Almost all of the parents surveyed limit their children’s Internet activities. In addition to setting time limits, they also prohibited or restricted access to certain online platforms.
The population as a whole is also critical of children’s Internet use. Four-fifths welcome bans on cell phones in schools and an age limit of 16 for social media platforms. According to the Axa Monitor, 43% consider cyberbullying to be one of the greatest dangers for children.
For 40 percent, cybergrooming, the manipulation of children for sexual content, is a risk. 37% perceive sexual content as a danger. 36% consider excessive internet use by adolescents to be a major source of danger.
Education is a parental duty
85% assume that children know too little about the dangers of the Internet. Educating them about this is seen by 89% as a parental duty. For 77 percent, this is also a task for schools.
62% of parents of underage children believe they are up to this task. However, 38% state that they are unable to adequately protect their children from cyber risks.
When asked about age-appropriate Internet use, the majority of respondents were in favor of Internet games from the age of ten, video platforms from the age of 13 and unrestricted Internet access from the age of 14.
In the case of the platform Tiktok, which has been criticized as a risk of addiction, 48% call for a ban for all age groups, 39% reject this and the rest are undecided. The Axa Cyber Worry Barometer was conducted by Sotomo between the end of February and mid-March among 1706 people in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.