HYDERABAD: A whopping 98.8 percent of children in urban areas are using internet and 54.6 percent of those surveyed use “weak passwords” – with only alphabets or numbers and which are less than eight characters. Additionally, 54.82 percent children share their passwords with their friends, family or relatives, hence creating a threat to their digital security.
These were some of the insights revealed in the Telenor India’s WebWise report released on the the occasion of the World Password Day recently. The study has disclosed the password habits, internet usage and access patterns of school going children in the country.
The WebWise survey was done in 13 cities and covered 2,700 students. It also showed that 83.5 percent children between 6 to 18 years are active on social media and, hence, are likely to have a higher threat perception. The study found that over 35% children have experienced their account being hacked while 15.74% shared that they have received inappropriate messages.
On the occasion, Shrinath Kotian, Circle Business Head of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at Telenor India said, “Though India is home to the second largest internet population in the world, majority of users, specially our children, are exposed to cyber threats due to weak and easy-to-guess passwords. On the World Password Day, we should understand the significance of using strong passwords and secure our identity in this digital world.”
Post the WebWise workshops, 81.9% children said that they will reconsider to change their passwords and 84.26% children agreed that they will not share their passwords with anyone apart from their parents. Additionally, 72.26% of children said they will use a strong password which is a mix of alphabets, numbers, small & capital letters, symbols and special characters.
The company had initiated WebWise workshops in 2014 amongst school children, teachers and parents. Through WebWise more than 55,000 individuals have been trained on safe internet practices. They conduct workshops in schools where they run modules on internet safety and the importance of a strong password.
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