New Delhi: Indian kids teens more vulnerable than ever to smartphone threats. Children and teenagers are more vulnerable than ever to sophisticated mobile threats in India as the level of disconnect that exists between generations over how safe mobile devices are and how vulnerable consumers are to threats on those devices has increased significantly, a new report has shown.
As smartphones replace PCs/laptops as the primary device, a high level of trust in smartphone security exists among Indian children and teens but is coupled with a low level of protection, even though the risk is at an all-time high, revealed the ‘2022 Consumer Mobile Threat Report’ by cyber-security research firm McAfee.
“As our use of mobile devices rapidly increases, we must remember that a mobile device is a connected device, just like a computer,” said Gagan Singh, McAfee Executive Vice President, Chief Product and Revenue Officer.
In India, most children (75 percent) think a new phone is more secure than a new computer, whereas only 71 percent of parents agree.
“In India, 57 percent of parents use passwords to protect mobile devices, while only 43 percent of children and teens do, creating safety risks,” the findings showed.
In India, 39 percent of parents of boys aged 10-14 put mobile parental controls software on their children’s devices compared to 33 percent for girls of the same age.
“In India, 27 percent of boys 10-14 reported a threat to their account compared to 21 percent of girls the same age,” said the report.
Nearly 21 percent of boys 10-14 reported cyberbullying while 20 percent of girls 10-14 reported cyberbullying.
The research showed that globally, at the age of 15, mobile use jumps significantly and stays consistent into adulthood.
“Usage of social media in India showed significant differences by gender, and girls reported adopting almost all mobile activities at a rate higher than boys,” the report mentioned.
In the country, 52 percent of girls 10-14 stream music compared to 42 percent of boys while 38 percent of girls online shop compared to 32 percent of boys.
“One noted exception in India is that 55 percent of boys 10-14 are gaming on mobile compared to 45 percent of girls the same age,” the report added.
