ISLAMABAD: A new survey has revealed that 89 per cent of parents use gadgets to entertain or keep their children occupied while travelling or to gain some free time for themselves.

The global cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky on Thursday said that more than half — 53pc — of children in the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) region receive their first personal device, a smartphone or a tablet, between ages three and seven.

It added that children themselves admitted that gadgets played a significant role in their lives, with 78pc saying that they could not live without their gadgets.

Smartphones, tablets, and game consoles are among the most desirable devices for children.

Kaspersky stresses need for parental controls on children’s devices

The cybersecurity agency said the prevalent use of gadgets emphasises the critical need for children to understand the threats they could be exposed to online and how to safely navigate them through appropriate device rules and guidelines.

However, nearly a quarter of respondents in the META region (22pc) said they have not discussed internet safety rules with their children.

“This means that some of the children, who are often left one-on-one with their devices, are not always aware of how to behave safely online.”

Seifallah Jedidi, Kaspersky’s head of Consumer Channel in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa, said most parents give their children gadgets in order to entertain them, spare some time for themselves or calm down their kids.

“However, children shouldn’t use digital devices uncontrolled. Rather parents should monitor their child’s digital life better.”

He suggested limiting screen time, educating kids about digital security and applying parental controls, which allows parents and guardians to restrict and monitor the content of websites accessed by their children online.

“Applying parental control is not showing distrust to your child; it’s a sensible precaution with which you can, among other things, protect the device and the data on it.”

Mr Jedidi added that through these controls, parents can restrict which websites their children can visit or which games they play. It also allows them to block file downloads, access content on unwanted topics and prevent the disclosure of confidential information.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2025