Kaspersky Lab becomes the latest member of the Family Online Safety Institute

Kaspersky Lab, a global cybersecurity company, announced today that it has become the newest member of The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), the leading organization dedicated to educating parents, companies, children, educators and policymakers about Internet safety. As part of its membership, Kaspersky Lab will be involved in discussions on the protection of children online and help to educate the general public in this area. Kaspersky Lab’s speakers will take part in international events organized by FOSI and cooperate with the Institute on joint research initiatives.

According to recent Kaspersky Lab surveys, 51% of parents think that online threats are increasing and 31% feel they have no control on what their kids see and do online¹. These figures highlight the need for parents to be not just aware but even more cyber savvy than their kids. Children are ready to cooperate with grown-ups to make surfing the web a safer experience – 75% of kids aged 8-16 years old claim that discussing cyberthreats with their parents would be effective for their online security².

Kaspersky Lab has a long history of working in the field of online safety and puts a lot of effort into educating parents and kids about the topic. It has developed Kaspersky Safe Kids – a technical solution that provides parents with a tool to help prevent dangerous consequences of a child’s use of Internet-connected devices. The company also cooperates with independent organizations and law enforcement agencies around the globe and works with child psychologists to put together recommendations on how to protect kids online.

There is still a lot to be done and, although Kaspersky Lab’s speakers already take part in numerous events around the globe to support the discussion on children’s protection online, working with FOSI will bring even more opportunities and additional resources for families to learn how to stay safe online. The company will continue conducting surveys and reports on what children do on the Internet as well as its work on the international projects that help kids and their parents know more about online safety.

Alejandro Arango, Global Director of Corporate Communications, Kaspersky Lab and newly appointed Member of the Board of Directors at FOSI, says: “Having dealt with the topic for several years now, we know a lot about what kids tend to do online, the perils they might face and what they try to hide from their parents. We also know that the Internet is full of content that can be harmful and inappropriate for children. All of this could have serious, even harmful consequences and we would like to help families have safer digital lives. That is why we are very glad to become a partner of an organization like FOSI. This partnership gives us an opportunity to engage and speak up about topics that are of the utmost importance in modern society. Parents need to know how to talk to their kids born in the digital era, and children need to realize that they can trust their parents and tell them if something goes wrong in their online lives. We are more than happy to be a part of this conversation. Kaspersky Lab will be an active member of FOSI to help make this world a safer place by providing protection and all the information at our disposal to safeguard the next generations of internet users and their parents.”

Stephen Balkam, CEO of FOSI said, “We are very pleased to welcome Kaspersky Lab into FOSI membership. The global nature of their research and educational work will help to build insight into valuable regional perspectives on online safety, while strengthening approaches to the promotion of industry best practices. We also look forward to sharing our work on digital parenting, an important area of focus for both FOSI and Kaspersky Lab.

¹Consumer Security Risks Survey 2015, Kaspersky Lab with B2B International

²Growing Up Online research, by Kaspersky Lab and iconKids&Youth, 2016