Parents worry that children will take advantage of gaps in their grandparents’ technical knowledge, a survey found.
About half of parents with children under 15 think the older generation needs more education and support about online access to prevent grandchildren viewing unsuitable websites while in their care.
Half of grandparents agreed, saying they were worried about their grandchildren’s use of the internet to access videos full of bad language or to communicate with strangers on social networks such as Facebook, or via multiplayer online games such as World of Warcraft.
Many are concerned that their grandchildren spend too much time on the internet, rather than engaging with the people around them.
More than a third of grandparents worry about policing internet usage while children are in their care.
About 11 per cent of parents worry that their offspring deliberately seek out unsuitable material or spend too much time online while in the care of their grandparents.
About 8 per cent believe that their children deliberately take advantage of their grandparents’ lack of knowledge to do so, according to the research.
Recent figures show that an estimated 5.8million people in Britain regularly look after their grandchildren
Geraldine Bedell, editor of the online forum Gransnet, said that its users were anxious about internet safety.
“Discussions on our forums show that grandchildren are often far more advanced in technology use than their grandparents, who feel anxious about what boundaries they should set and how to do it,” she said.
Less than a third of grandparents, 31 per cent, have discussed digital rules with parents, even though 44 per cent of families claim to have rules. Those who manage to get to grips with their grandchildren’s internet usage find that they are valuable teachers.
About 29 per cent of grandparents say they have learnt from the younger generation and more than half use technology with their grandchildren for fun, whether playing computer games or keeping in touch through the online video phone service, Skype.
Vodafone, the mobile phone company which commissioned the YouGov survey, has created a set of guidelines for grandparents on how to control internet usage. The guide, Vodafone Digital Parenting, is due to be released at Westminster tomorrow.
Annie Mullins, the company’s head of content standards, said grandparents were “keen to do their part and set the same rules as those set by the children’s parents”.
She added that it was important to build confidence and inform parents and grandparents of the ways to help children get the most out of technology while understanding the hazards.