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According to the research, 35% of people admitting to having disputes about updating devices with family members. Additionally, more than half of respondents who have a family (62%) agree that children and elderly relatives need help with updating devices.

Smart devices have long become commonplace for people of all ages[1]. 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. As with any software, 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 34% of surveyed adults find installing updates frustrating and annoying. A similar percentage (35%) have even entered into disputes with family members about their disinterest or reluctance towards regular updates.

The survey also shows that, regardless of whether they live alone or with family, 77% of adults typically install updates on all the devices within their home by themselves. Instances where all individuals in a home are responsible for updating their own gadgets are less common (12%). At the same time, survey respondents reported that their partners (7%) and children (4%) rarely install the updates on all the devices.

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“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 (35%) 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.”

To read the full report, please visit this link.

About the survey

In April 2021, Kaspersky commissioned Savanta to conduct an online survey of 15,000 respondents to explore people’s device update tendencies. The sample included 1,000 respondents from each of the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain; and 500 from each of the USA, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, UAE, Turkey, South Africa, China, India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Russia. All respondents used a PC, smartphone and/or tablet for either their personal or work lives, and 76% of the respondents were currently employed.

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at usa.kaspersky.com.

Media Contact:

Cassandra Faro
Cassandra.Faro@Kaspersky.com
781-503-1812

[1] https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/technology-use-among-seniors/

    https://www.npr.org/2019/10/31/774838891/its-a-smartphone-life-more-than-half-of-u-s-children-now-have-one

Kaspersky finds 35% of adults argue with family members about updating devices

A global survey conducted by Kaspersky exploring users’ attitudes to updating devices has found that the activity has become a family affair.
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