A global survey conducted by Kaspersky, exploring users’ attitudes to updating devices has found that the activity has become a family affair.
According to the research, more than half of respondents locally who have family (65%), agree that children and elderly relatives need help with updating devices.
Additionally, updates can affect relationships at home, with 34% of people admitting to having disputes about it with family members.
Devices have long become commonplace for people of all ages¹. Children use them to watch content and play games, and adults rely on them to keep in touch with friends and family all over the world. It is important to remember, however, that every device requires timely updates in order to maintain a reliable level of security and high performance.
Disputes among family members about their disinterest or reluctance towards these regular updates comes as no surprise, given that 43% of surveyed adults in South Africa find installing updates frustrating and annoying.
The survey also shows that, regardless of whether they live alone or with family, 73% of adults typically install updates on devices at home by themselves. Instances where individuals are responsible for their own gadgets are less common (17%). At the same time, according to those people surveyed, their partners (6%) and children (3%) rarely update devices.
“Because almost all members of modern families use gadgets, installing updates becomes a real family affair,” comments Marina Titova, head of consumer product marketing at Kaspersky. “The research results show that practically all family members are involved in this process to some extent.
“We see that more than a third (34%) of respondents even argue with family members about the importance of updates, which probably shows how seriously users take the safety of themselves and their loved ones online.
“Timely installation of updates helps to not only gain access to new functions and interfaces but also to maintain a high level of device security. This will keep the personal data of all family members safe, as well as ensure the fast and optimal operation of all devices.”