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Safer internet not a priority to youth
07-02-2017 09:48:18
Lack of time and knowledge results in unsafe internet use.
Ede, Februari 7, 2017 – On Safer Internet Day, it became apparent that no less than 56 percent of the young people does not know how to ensure their privacy online. This is a finding of a survey performed by BIT, specialist in collocation, internet connections, managed hosting and outsourcing. Safer Internet Day is the annual international day for better and safer internet, particularly for the youth. In general, young people are fairly tech-savvy, but internet security does not seem to have a priority. This shows in the fact that many young people open emails (67%) and files (41%) from unknown sources. Young people assume they can recognise a phishing email immediately (90%). Despite that, one in ten young people have been a victim of cyber crime and 52 percent cannot deny that with certainty.
Lack of time as an excuse
Consumers often provide webshops with more information than needed. 40 percent of young people is willing to provide unnecessary information for the shipment of products. The reason is that they do not have the desire or the time to search for the articles on another website. Time proves to be an issue for young people anyway. Timely installing updates is essential for the security of electronics. However, 37 percent of the youth installs updates of their operating systems when they have time for it and 22 percent updates their virus scanner only when it suits them.
Irresponsible password use
Passwords are the key to a digital identity. Still, nearly half of the youth (45%) shares their passwords with someone else. The majority (63%) only uses one password for multiple logins. Every now and then with small variations, like uppercase letters or numbers. More than half changes their passwords less than once a year, of which 12 percent never changes them at all. 
Wido Potters, Manager Sales & Support at BIT, on the results: "Young people are often insufficiently aware of the dangers online and the ways in which they can help protect their privacy. This is worrying, because these people open the door for attackers when there is no need for it. Besides awareness, there is also a lack of knowledge on the topic. Not everyone realises that your vulnerability to cybercrime increases with the amount of information you share online. The changes in behaviour to make the use of the internet safer, are often only small ones. Think, for example, of automating updates, so time is no longer an excuses, or using password generators and managers."
More data from the survey are bundled in the research report "Internet Stubborn" and is free to download on https://www.bit.nl/veiliginternet