As a longtime leader in internet safety, Cox Communications is bringing that commitment to their expanding mobile service. Earlier this year, the broadband provider released the results of “Generation Screen: Parenting and Mobile Safety, a Cox Mobile Survey,” which focused on parents’ safety habits for their kids’ cell phone use.
“While providing kids with greater access to technology enables many positive connections and benefits, the reality is that real dangers can exist just one tap or swipe away,” Mark Greatrex, president of Cox Communications, said. “As our customers’ trusted connectivity provider, we are encouraging digital literacy, educating families on the potential risks, and promoting safer, informed use of these incredibly powerful connectivity tools.”
What parents are doing
Online safety starts at home, and each family has different tactics and solutions. When asked what strategies and tools they were using to protect their kids online:
- 54% of parents said they were manually monitoring online activity.
- 53% said they were utilizing built-in parental controls on a device.
- 44% reported checking their kids’ social media accounts.
- 31% made use of parental controls offered by a cell provider.
Navigating online safety in the digital age
Even with monitoring, 73% of parents say their kids are somewhat or very savvy at hiding their phone activity. One solution is to be connected with their kids on social media.
- About seven in ten parents (73%) are connected with their children online, and 64% of them interact with their kids through social media channels.
- Parents reported that, on average, their kids have about three social media accounts.
- The most popular platforms, according to parents, are YouTube (80%), TikTok (59%), and Facebook (45%).
Cox Mobile Senior Vice President Tony Krueck told Axios, “We've always had a presence in the internet connectivity business with broadband, and with that broadband business we have focused and paid attention to digital literacy and doing everything we can to help educate all of our customers on the dangers and how to stay safe on the internet.”
A track record of online safety
Cable broadband providers, including Cox, have a long track record of providing parental controls and educational materials to help parents navigate the online world.
- Cable ISPs offer home network management solutions to, among other things, limit who can access what content, and for how long.
- They also offer digital literacy training because knowing what to look for is the first step to staying safe online.
With more options to connect to the internet than ever before, whether in the home or on the go, online safety remains paramount to cable internet providers. With their long commitment to safety, efforts to keep kids safe online continue regardless of whether that kid is connecting via a home Wi-Fi network or cable’s mobile network.