While people relax by watching TV, listening to music, and streaming TV shows or other videos online, they often don’t consider the cybersecurity risks.
A survey performed by Cint and commissioned by cybersecurity company NordVPN shows that 96% of people turn to technology for relaxation during the day.
While watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram can help alleviate stress, it may also eliminate users’ privacy awareness.
Sixty percent of respondents said they turn to their gadgets a few times a day to relax, and 21% said they do so at least once a day.
In most countries, TV remains the number one device for relaxation and easy entertainment (70%).
“In the past, very few cybersecurity issues were associated with the use of television,” says Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN. “However, now many people use smart TVs.
“In 2019, the FBI released a warning stating that smart TVs can make users vulnerable to surveillance and attacks by bad actors. Since then, user security technology has become more advanced, but internet-connected devices remain vulnerable.”
Warmenhoven adds that smartphones are the second most used item for relaxation (69% globally). “When people are relaxed, they often forget about possible cybersecurity risks. Smartphones are especially at risk because today, no other gadget knows more about its user. That makes smartphones a very appealing target for hackers.”
Two-thirds of respondents choose to unwind by watching TV, and a similar number of people choose to do so by listening to music. More than half of respondents also relax by streaming TV shows or movies or watching videos (for example, on YouTube or TikTok).
The fourth most popular way of relaxing was scrolling through social media, and 45.7% of respondents admitted to doing so. More than a third also said they feel more relaxed after talking to their loved ones online, gaming, or reading or listening to the news.