Peer-reviewed article

Parental control on handphone access and usage among Malaysian children.

M S Tan, H S Arvinder-Singh, W Y Lim, H S S Amar-Singh · 1 Sept 2022

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Parental control for a child's handphone access is important to ensure online safety. This study was to determine parental control on handphone access and the usage amongst Malaysian children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted electronically between April 2017 and March 2018 among parents with children above 2 years of age, who owned a handphone. The 10-item questionnaire included questions about rules applied to the use of handphones, education on cybersafety, the characteristics and activities of their youngest children who had full-time access to a handphone, and parental perceptions of their children's usage of handphones. A total of 215 parents were included. RESULTS: From this, 92% controlled their children's handphones use by setting rules. The commonest rules were limiting the time of handphone usage (77%) and being aware of whom the child was communicating with (77%). The majority (94%) educated their children on cybersafety, and the commonest discussed topic was not to communicate with strangers (93%). The children's average age of first handphone ownership was 10.6 (SD: 3.6) years, and the use of the handphone averaged 17.4 (SD: 18.5) hours a week. Despite the rules and education provided, only a quarter of parents were confident of their children's capability to manage their own safety when using handphones (27%). CONCLUSION: In summary, Malaysian parents did control their children's handphone usage.