DATA STORY : Mobile maturity

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A new study by McAfee Corp, a global leader in online protection has revealed that Indian children have the highest online risk exposure and are among the youngest to reach mobile maturity. The report titled ‘Life behind the screens of parents, tweens, and teens’ explains how those most vulnerable may be left under-protected.

Children in India aged 10 to 14 appear to adopt mobile more quickly than nearly all their peers worldwide. Likewise, they show some of the least uptick in mobile adoption as they grow older. Both suggest that India has an early age of mobile maturity.

Indian parents were the most likely to overestimate their children’s mobile usage, 5% above the global average, suggesting that heavy mobile usage by children there has been normalized.

In India, smartphone use at the age of 10 to 14 is at 83 percent, which is significantly 7 per cent above the international average of 76 per cent. This leads to high exposure to online risks as there is a substantial security gap between parents and children. Additionally, while the concern is relatively low among parents, 22 per cent of Indian children experienced cyberbullying at some time which is notably 5 per cent higher than the global average of 17 per cent.

Parents recognize their role as protectors online, just as they recognize their responsibility to protect their children in the broader world. An overwhelming 90% of parents worldwide agreed with this sentiment. Like their children, parents felt that teachers at school played a role as well at 36%. However, their second top response was internet providers, weighing in at 41%.

Parents say they see boys and girls differently when it comes to protecting them online. An apparent gender bias finds girls more protected than boys, yet it is boys who encounter more issues online.

This data story aims to highlight the data from McAfee study about mobile usage among children aged 10-14.