A study conducted by consumer and private security company ExpressVPN found that NYC has one of the worst online bullying problems in the country. The study polled 2,000 children ages 4 to 13 in both the United States and the United Kingdom who have access to the internet and found that 35% of children in NYC have experienced others being rude to children, or swearing at them online, and have been exposed to scary videos.
There’s no doubt that NYC parents are concerned about their children’s online safety—50% of adults cited fears of bullying, 45% were concerned about offensive images or videos, and 40% were concerned about cyberstalking. Unfortunately, the results showed 26% of children have been bullied online, 21% of American children have had a stranger ask which school they go to and 19% have been asked for their home address. Read more about the study here.
ExpressVPN also offers up the following tips on keeping children safe online:
- Set up parental controls
- Foster open communication with kids
- Remind them not to befriend strangers online
- Consider username safety
- Use a VPN (keeping in mind this is what the company offers)
