Teenagers are increasingly masking their internet footprints from parents, sparking growing concerns over online safety and digital transparency in the family, according to a new cybersecurity report.
Across the Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa (META) region, nearly one in two children aged 11 to 17 (48%) admit they are deliberately hiding their online activities from their parents or other adults in their lives, according to new insights surfacing from a regional study by cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky, made available to Technology Times.
The trend is underlining a widening digital gap between children and their parents, even as internet usage continues to boom across our lives.
A staggering 57% of those surveyed say they don’t want their parents to know how long they stay online, while 37% prefer to keep their choice of websites a mystery. Alarmingly, one in four teenagers (25%) are deliberately hiding visits to websites that contain aggressive or adult content, and 33% are concealing the fact they are watching age-inappropriate media.
The revelations, gleaned from Kaspersky’s latest survey conducted by research agency Toluna, draw back the curtain on the secret digital worlds many teenagers are building—far from the watchful eyes of their parents.
“It is understandable that parents may not be able to monitor all the online activities of their children. However, it is not necessary to do so,” Seifallah Jedidi, Kaspersky’s Head of Consumer Channel in the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa says.
“Instead, it is more important to build and maintain close relationships with children. Regularly chatting with them about their experiences, including those related to their digital lives, is essential,” Jedidi says.
Online secrets: The digital playbook of teens
Young Nigerians, like their peers across the META region, are developing a set of strategies to keep their internet activities private—even at home. The survey reveals that:
- 28% of teens are locking their devices with passwords.
- 20% routinely delete their browsing histories after each internet session.
- 16% wait until their parents are not around to go online.
What exactly are they hiding?
A staggering 57% of those surveyed say they don’t want their parents to know how long they stay online, while 37% prefer to keep their choice of websites a mystery. Alarmingly, one in four teenagers (25%) are deliberately hiding visits to websites that contain aggressive or adult content, and 33% are concealing the fact they are watching age-inappropriate media.
In the digital streets of Nigeria—where mobile-first internet access has become the norm for Generation Z—these behaviours echo a generation asserting their independence online, even as digital threats continue to evolve.
In the digital streets of Nigeria—where mobile-first internet access has become the norm for Generation Z—these behaviours echo a generation asserting their independence online, even as digital threats continue to evolve.
A double-edged sword: Freedom vs online safety
From Instagram Reels to TikTok trends, today’s teens are more connected than ever. But with that connectivity comes exposure—to misinformation, cyberbullying, predatory content, and potential digital addiction.
Jedidi is urging parents not to take this growing secrecy personally. Instead, he encourages them to develop proactive communication strategies, and see parental controls not as spying, but as a form of digital seatbelt.
“Applying parental control is not showing distrust to your child; it’s a sensible precaution,” he notes. “It allows parents to control which sites their children visit and which games they play, as well as disallowing file downloads, blocking access to content on unwanted topics, and preventing the disclosure of confidential information.”
Technology Tools for Digital Parenting
As the digital divide between generations deepens, Kaspersky is recommending several tips for Nigerian families seeking to safeguard their children’s online experiences:
- Stay informed about the latest online threats and trends.
- Monitor children’s internet activity actively, but respectfully.
- Use reliable cybersecurity tools like Kaspersky’s Safe Kids app to enforce safety rules.
- Educate children about risks like malware, phishing, and inappropriate content.
- Foster open dialogue about digital challenges they may face.
The Kaspersky study, conducted among 10,000 parent-child pairs in Türkiye, South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, paints a worrying yet familiar picture for Nigeria, where mobile data remains the primary internet gateway for many families.
Why this matters for Nigeria
As digital access deepens in Nigeria—now Africa’s largest internet market with over 150 million online users—the need for digital parenting has never been more urgent.
The study’s findings resonate in Nigerian homes, where tech-savvy teens often outpace their parents in digital knowledge and tools. It also calls for policy attention, especially around digital literacy in schools and cyber wellness education at home.
In today’s Nigeria, where smartphones are becoming an extension of youth identity, the question is no longer if your teenager is online—but what they’re doing, when, and why they’re hiding it from you.
And as Seifallah Jedidi rightly puts it, the solution starts with talking—not tracking.
Home