Year: 2023 | Month: December | Volume 68 | Issue 4
An Investigation of the Relationship Between Parents’ Socioeconomic Standards and their Children’s Online Safety; Perspective: Bangladesh
Rumel M.S. Rahman Pir
Md. Forhad Rabbi and M. Jahirul Islam
DOI:10.46852/0424-2513.4.2023.7
Abstract:
The field of child-computer interaction has garnered significant interest from researchers worldwide.
Nevertheless, the discourse around the protection of children’s digital safe, that includes privacy and
security remains significantly underrepresented in both Bangladesh and the broader global south. In
situations where a significant portion of senior and adult persons lack awareness regarding optimal
strategies for effectively utilizing digital gadgets and tools, it is difficult to anticipate a higher level of
proficiency among younger individuals. Privacy generally encompasses the capacity of individuals to
exercise control over, get access to, and govern their personal data. In contrast, the security system serves
to mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, data leakage, or cyber intrusions, therefore safeguarding the
data from potential compromise. Previous studies have indicated that the responsibility for safeguarding
the digital privacy and security of children lies with both parents and children themselves. Regrettably, a
dearth of scholarly investigations exists within the domain, hindering the ability to systematically monitor
and analyze the potential relationship between parental socioeconomic status and the privacy and safety
of their offspring. This research aims to discover the correlation. This study employed semi-structured
interviews with a sample of 48 parents and 42 children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, including
high income, middle income, and low-income groups. The collected data were subjected to statistical
analysis. The findings of this study indicate that children from high income families are more susceptible
to online safety issues compared to their counterparts from low-income households. This vulnerability is
attributed to factors such as the widespread availability of internet access and personal digital devices,
greater purchasing power on online platforms, and a lack of parental monitoring. This study presents a
limited number of recommendations for parents and children across various socioeconomic backgrounds
in order to enhance the state of internet safety for children.
Highlights
- Children in Bangladesh are using devices with internet access on a regular basis. In addition, children’s online security and privacy are being threatened by their actions.
- Owing to factors such as personal digital device ownership, internet accessibility, and parent-child communication gaps, children from higher socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to experience problems with online safety.
- It was found that if children could change their usage habits and act more responsibly online, their digital privacy and security circumstances would improve.
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