NortonLifeLock (NASDAQ: NLOK), a global leader in consumer Cyber Safety, released today findings from ‘Screens & Quarantine: Digital Parenting in a Pandemic,’ a new study revealing how the current pandemic has impacted children’s at-home screen time, device access and parents’ concerns around Cyber Safety. The study underscored that nearly 7 out of 10 parents (69%) said that their child’s screen time has heightened during the pandemic, with around 3 in 5 feeling they have no choice but to allow it (60%) and that they accept certain risks to their child’s online safety to keep them entertained and occupied (57%).
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“This study shows parents like me are not alone in struggling to find ways to keep our children safe and entertained during the pandemic,” says Kevin Roundy, technical director, NortonLifeLock. “With fewer social gatherings, schools adopting distance learning, and many parents working from home, it comes as little surprise that parents have had to shift their kids’ activities to digital devices. However, all of this unsupervised time spent on devices leads to an influx of Cyber Safety risks that parents should be aware of, including device hacking, location tracking, and risk from online predators.”
Conducted in partnership with The Harris Poll, more than 1,000 U.S. parents of children ages 5-17 were interviewed for the study, revealing nearly half (49%) have had to abandon some, if not all, of their previous rules for screen time. The study found children are spending roughly 1.5 more hours in front of screens per day on school days, excluding time spent for school purposes – a 52% increase1 in screen time compared to prior to the outbreak.
Almost 7 in 10 parents (67%) indicated that their child’s unsupervised screen time has increased due to the pandemic’s effect on work and school. Among those who said their child’s screen time has skyrocketed during the pandemic, prominent reasons include keeping their child entertained and occupied (70%) and giving their child a way to connect with friends and family (52%).
Additional findings from the NortonLifeLock Screens & Quarantine: Digital Parenting in a Pandemic Study include:
NortonLifeLock helps families to more safely explore our connected world with products like Norton 360 and Norton Family, and by providing education, tools and resources in concert with National PTA and other organizations. For more information and tips, please visit the NortonLifeLock blog at www.nortonlifelock.com/blogs and www.nortonlifelock.com.
About the NortonLifeLock Screens & Quarantine: Digital Parenting in a Pandemic Study
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of NortonLifeLock from August 4-7, 2020 among 1,002 parents of children ages 5-17. Results were weighted for age within gender, region, race/ethnicity, household income, education, and size of household where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
About NortonLifeLock
NortonLifeLock Inc. (NASDAQ: NLOK) is a global leader in consumer Cyber Safety. NortonLifeLock is dedicated to helping secure the devices, identities, online privacy, and home and family needs of nearly 50 million consumers, providing them with a trusted ally in a complex digital world. For more information, please visit www.nortonlifelock.com.
1 2.9 hours before the pandemic vs 4.4 hours during.
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Jenna Torluemke
NortonLifeLock Inc.
(415) 767-7800
[email protected]
Christine Kim
Edelman for NortonLifeLock
(415) 712-3409
[email protected]