National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Tayo Olanipekun
Activities on social media networks Facebook, Google Mail, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram lead on the list of what Nigerian children do on the internet, a report has shown.
While globally, children were said to be more likely to watch video content and listen to music than spend time on social media, kids in Nigeria are most active across internet communication media, according to Kaspersky Lab’s Parental Control report on Monday.
Kaspersky noted that in the country, 35 per cent of those surveyed revealed that apps for communication and engagements were their favourite, followed by video content and music at 29 per cent.
The research, however, revealed that children spent more time on YouTube in particular, showing an increased interest in apps for movies and series, while one per cent of the children also go for adult films and computer games websites.
This is as 20 per cent of the children also began to visit news sites more frequently for sports and commerce and seven per cent showed interest in exploring online stores for clothes and mobile devices on Amazon.
As its methodology, the report relied on anonymised statistics on websites visited from Windows PCs and Macs, and search activity on Windows PCs, Macs, Android and iOS device. It also has statistics taken from Kaspersky Lab’s flagship products that have the Parental Control module switched on, as well as from its Safe Kids, a standalone service installed for kids’ online protection.
Explaining that the statistics obtained indicate the interests of children and teens in the country today, Kaspersky recommended using parental control products not only to block potentially dangerous content, but also to help parents stay informed about their children’s interests and passions.
General Manager for Kaspersky Lab Africa, Riaan Badenhorst, noted that any software programs, including those from Kaspersky Lab, allow parents to see reports about their children’s online activities.
“Naturally, reports like this do not disclose any private information. In our opinion, the parents’ knowledge of what their children do online should promote better family relationships, helping to encourage open dialogue and preventing more serious threats to children in the region,” added Badenhorst.
