Seventy one per cent of UK parents are unaware that their child's smartphone could be targeted by hackers, claims research from IT security firm ESET.
More than 1,000 parents took part in the survey, which was carried out by independent research firm Vision Critical in June.
Out of those surveyed, 36 per cent did not think smartphones could be infected with viruses, while just 29 per cent knew that internet enabled phones could be targeted by cybercriminals.
The findings also revealed that children are becoming technologically independent at a younger age, with many of the parents questioned revealing their child had a phone and an email address by the time they were ten years old.
Quinton Watts, security expert at ESET UK, said people need to be aware that any device that can access the internet is susceptible to attack.
"Hackers and threats alike are becoming more advanced, and the advent of smart devices has created a new avenue for hackers to do their dirty work'," said Watts.
"Just as parents will protect their children in the physical world, they need to do the same in the cyber world and ensure that all of their children's devices are as secure as possible."
