Indian teens 'shock' on Facebook, Twitter

Indian teens spend 86 per cent of their time daily on Facebook followed by 54 per cent on Twitter, a survey by McAfee today said.

"On a daily basis, the surveyed Indian teens spend 86 percent of their time on Facebook followed by 54 per cent time on Twitter," McAfee's 'Secret Lives of Teens' survey said.

It added that 97 per cent of teens have access to social network, while there is a growing digital divide between teens and their parents.

"This divide is attributed to the fact that Indian teens are growing up as digital natives, with increasingly active online lives but lack of parental assistance," the survey said.

The research commissioned by McAfee was carried out in seven cities -- Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Chennai comprising a sample size of 757 teenagers and 750 parents.

"Close to half of surveyed teens (45 per cent) are now using their smartphones for Internet access. On an average, they open an account at the age of 13," it said.

The survey said there is an evident discrepancy between parental perception and actual reality regarding the online activities of the teenagers.

"...while parental concerns prevail, teens do end up sharing more dangerous information online, contrary to their parents belief," the survey said.

It added 89 per cent teens believe social network is safe whereas parents are less believing at 71 per cent.

"It's very challenging for parents to educate their technology savvy children. We hope this study provides Indian parents with some key insights and learning's on how to protect their children online," McAfee Consumer Marketing Director (APAC) Melanie Duca told reporters here.

The survey said 38 per cent teens have witnessed cruel behaviour online, whereas only 16 per cent parents are aware of this. 87 per cent of this behaviour has been noticed on Facebook, 31 per cent on Twitter and 23 per cent on email by teens.

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