Two in Five New Zealand Children Harmed by Cybercrime
Symantec Research Reveals Parents in the Dark About Cyberbullying
Auckland – 16 June 2014 – Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) today announced findings from its Norton Report: Family Edition which revealed two in five (43 percent)
New Zealand children have been harmed by cybercrime and/or a negative online situation during 2012-2013. The annual
report has been released to coincide with this year’s Connect Smart Week (16-22 June 2014).
The Symantec study reveals 57 percent of New Zealand children who were harmed by cybercrime and/or a negative online
situation admitted to hiding what they do online from adults (i.e. parents and teachers). In addition, while cybercrime
affects both sexes, with those harmed split evenly between females and males (44 percent for girls and 41 percent for
boys), more than twice as many Kiwi girls as boys have been bullied online (17 percent versus 8 percent).
The Norton Report: Family Edition, which surveyed over 350 New Zealanders (148 adults and 203 children), looked at
issues affecting children and parents in the digital age and examined their online behaviours, attitudes and security
habits with a focus on cyberbullying.
“As social media and the online world continues to infiltrate our lives and that of young people, cyberbullying remains
a very real online danger due to the damaging effect on people’s mental health,” said Brenton Smith, vice president and
managing director, Pacific region, Symantec.
“Awareness is extremely important, and we encourage parents to provide confidence to their children to share their bad
online experiences with them or another adult. Our current research indicates that Kiwi parents are in the dark about
cyberbullying, with many unaware of whether their child is being harmed by cyberbullying or harming others and therefore
unable to provide necessary support.”
“Online safety requires a combination of open and ongoing dialogue and education between parents and children. While two
thirds (67 percent) of the children surveyed saying they spoke to their parents about their negative online experience,
only 22 percent stayed away from where they were bullied online. It is clear more education is needed to enable children
to make informed decisions about seeking help when dealing with cyberbullies,” said Smith.
Mark Shaw, technology strategist – information security, Symantec Pacific region, said the study shows young people
continue to have negative online experiences and may not be seeking help.
“It’s alarming that the Norton Report: Family Edition showed almost one in five (17 percent) New Zealand children have
been responsible for causing another person to have a negative online experience. What they might think is just a joke
can be extremely distressing for the person on the receiving end. We need to make sure our young people understand the
impact cyberbullying can have on other people’s mental health.
“Cyberbullying affects so many young people at a particularly vulnerable stage. It is a cruel and unpleasant activity.
Children need to be able to explore, discover and enjoy their time online but they also need boundaries to know what is
acceptable online behaviour,” he said.
Top 10 Tips for Parents and Children
1. Set aside time to discuss appropriate online behaviour and create age-appropriate “House Rules” about how
computers, smart phones and gaming systems are used at home
2. For parents, be a positive role model and be aware that children like to imitate your behaviour
3. Do not share private information like passwords, name and address, phone numbers with people you don’t know
4. If you are being harassed online, block the harasser and report the situation to an adult such as a parent or
teacher
5. Do not respond to the harasser/s online as this could encourage them to continue
6. Find out how to report bullying and harassment on each of the social networks that you use
7. Keep a record of calls, messages, posts and emails that may be offensive and harmful
8. Use privacy options wisely on social networking sites
9. Use strong, unique passwords on all your accounts and devices, especially mobile phones and install security
software on all devices
10. Be kind. If you have harassed a person online: apologise, take down any offensive material as soon as possible
and talk to a trusted adult.
ends