Russians talked about measures to protect children online

Among the Russians surveyed, the majority (81%) expressed the opinion that parents should teach their children online safety rules first of all. This is stated in the results of a study by the Avito online platform and the Alliance for the Protection of Children on the Internet, which were reviewed by Izvestia on April 29.

The respondents named school teachers in second place in this list, and IT companies whose products children use in third place. According to the parents interviewed, it is important for businesses to develop educational projects in the field of digital literacy.

At the same time, every second respondent helps their children make purchases and sales on online platforms: 31% of children have their own account, and 20% use their parents' accounts. Russians believe that independent online transactions contribute to the development of various skills in children: financial literacy — 63%, communication and negotiation — 43%, organizational abilities — 36%, entrepreneurial skills — 32%, critical thinking — 30%, and creativity — 25%.

The majority of parents (66%) actively discuss with their children the potential risks associated with online communication and ways to prevent them. Half of the respondents (50%) monitor their children's online activities, 49% use parental control tools, and 36% limit their time spent online. Also, 14% of parents enroll their children in specialized training programs.

Among the training formats, the most effective were lectures and talks (57%), videos and cartoons (51%), interactive online games —33%), as well as trainings and master classes (27%).

"Making deals online is now almost more popular than traditional online shopping. And if earlier parents gradually taught children to be independent in a regular store, now there is a need to teach them how to safely communicate, buy and sell online," said Natalia Yumatova, Director of Trust and Security at Avito.

In turn, Elizaveta Belyakova, chairman of the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment, added that it is important that other participants in the digital environment, such as schools, IT companies, and platforms, are actively involved in the formation of digital literacy among children.

At the same time, Arseniy Epov, director of the secure digital space for children from MTS Membrana Kids, an expert of the Generation M charity project, stressed that ensuring the safety of children online requires a balanced approach from parents.

"Many parents believe that it is easier to restrict their child's access to digital services altogether in order to avoid a child's collision with intruders on the network. But isolation is not an option. Such methods undermine the trusting relationship between parents and children. Moreover, total prohibitions prevent a child from adapting to the digital environment in a timely manner, which is necessary in our time," he said.

According to him, it is important that children from a young age gradually and under the supervision of adults learn to navigate the digital space, recognize threats and know how to act in dangerous situations.

"In the case of online shopping, it is important for parents to gradually teach their child how to interact with digital platforms. For example, to begin with, you can organize a scheme in which the child selects goods, the parent confirms and places an order with his card. At the next stage, the child gets his own card and is given a spending limit for a month. After some time, this limit can be raised to a level that is comfortable for the child," Epov said.

Earlier, on February 24, Valeria Glebova, Megafon's senior manager for parental control products, told Izvestia that when a child has a smartphone, it will be useful first of all to install parental control applications. Adults can use them to limit screen time, track their child's location, and control access to games and apps.