The findings come from Norton's Family Report, an annual survey carried out by the security company, which questioned 2,800 children and more than 7,000 adults worldwide about their online habits and behaviour.
The study found that children spend an average of 24 hours online every week, while more than half of those questioned said they had been bullied online, exposed to inappropriate content, or encouraged to meet up with someone they knew from cyberspace in real life.
One fifth of children said they regretted something they'd done online, while 39 per cent of youngsters said negative online experiences made them feel angry. Around two-thirds said such experiences made them feel upset, afraid or fearful and worried. Although the study found that 45 per cent of parents were aware that their children had been exposed to inappropriate or upsetting content on the web, children actually wanted more parental involvement in their online lives.
“This report provides a rare glimpse into the online lives of young people in many countries – in their own words," said Anne Collier, co-director of ConnectSafely, a cyber-safety organisation that collaborated with Norton on the research. "Not only does it send a clear message that the online safety and security issues around parenting are universal, it offers insights and information that can empower parents worldwide to help kids use the internet safely and keep family communication about technology open and ongoing.”