Tech-savvy youngsters are costing UAE parents money

Unsupervised child internet use is costing UAE parents money and is putting them at risk, according to a survey conducted by a computer security company.

ABU DHABI // More than a quarter of parents have lost money because of their children’s unmonitored internet use, a new survey shows.

With 98 per cent of respondents saying they used smartphones, tablets, or computers to conduct financial transactions, parents said they are finding their increasingly tech-savvy children are costing them money.

Not only did children make online purchases, but they also exposed them to malware attacks, found the survey, which was conducted by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab. More than 60 per cent of respondents said they had experienced attempts to steal their financial information.

Each successful attack cost victims on average Dh271.

Child internet use also led to a loss of data, with about 12 per cent of families having experienced accidental removal of information from their computers.

Twelve per cent said their children had been in contact with strangers online.