Smith Micro survey exhibits dad and mom depend on a wide range of applied sciences to maintain their kids secure on-line

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – (BUSINESS WIRE) – According to a recent consumer survey * commissioned by Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI), nearly nine in ten American parents use digital parenting technology to manage their children’s internet activities and keep them safe online. 86% of surveyed parents emphasize the importance of parents protecting their children online and say that they regularly talk to their children about online safety.

“Ensuring the online safety and digital wellbeing of their children is a top priority for today’s parents,” said William W. Smith, Jr., President and CEO of Smith Micro.

When asked what is most Concerning when it comes to the well-being of their child, parents cited online safety in almost the same proportion (30%) as physical safety (31%). Other options that parents chose in order of frequency are excessive screen time (20%), digital wellbeing (8%), privacy (5%), and identity theft (2%).

The survey found that parents give their children an average of 4.3 hours of screen time for entertainment every day, with 25% of parents admitting their child logs six or more hours of screen time per day. Almost eight in ten (78%) parents agreed that they are now giving their child more screen time for entertainment due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while an even higher proportion (88%) agreed that it is their responsibility to do so monitor and control your child’s online activities.

“While all parents want to keep their children safe online, they have neither the time nor the desire to monitor every digital activity,” said Smith. “Digital parenting technology will help parents to bring the demands of parenthood into harmony with everyday life in 2021. As a white label solution for family security, our SafePath® platform enables our mobile communications partners to offer their subscribers digital lifestyle solutions for families that are in demand. ”

When asked about their primary concern about digital parenting, nearly a quarter (24%) of parents surveyed chose “exposure to inappropriate online content” while a fifth of parents (20%) chose “harmful user-generated content on social media” as ” harmful ”are the most affected. Other leading digital concerns selected by parents include:

• Internet addiction from excessive screen time (16%)

• Persistent emotional stress / trauma from negative online experiences (10%)

• SMS with strangers or people unknown to parents (9%)

• Cyberbullying (8%)

A research letter with other important survey results as well as demographic breakdowns by age, gender and US region is available for download here.

* The survey was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Smith Micro Software, Inc. Smith Micro commissioned the survey to learn more about the approaches, tools, and technology parents are using to keep their school-age children safe online and to manage their digital activities. See below for the methodology.

Survey methodology

This random double opt-in survey was conducted by OnePoll – a market research firm and a corporate member of both the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) – and adheres to the Marketing Code of Conduct the research company (MRS). The survey was conducted online in the US from August 9-16, 2021. The sample consisted of 2,000 American parents of school-age children (ages 5 to 18). For more information on OnePoll’s research in the media, navigate to their portfolio here.

About SafePath®

The SafePath product suite consists of SafePath Family, SafePath IoT and SafePath Home and offers comprehensive and easy-to-use tools for protecting the digital lifestyle and managing connected devices. As a carrier-grade, white-label solution, SafePath enables wireless carriers and cable network operators to bring fully functional, branded family security solutions to the market that provide sought-after services such as location tracking, child safety and driver monitoring to wireless customers. The SafePath-based solutions are delivered to end users as value-added services, opening up new revenue opportunities for service providers, while at the same time helping to increase brand affinity and reduce subscriber churn. Learn more at smithmicro.com/safepath.

About Smith Micro Software, Inc.

Smith Micro develops software to simplify and enhance the mobile experience and provides solutions for some of the leading wireless carriers and cable MSOs around the world. From enabling the family’s digital lifestyle to delivering powerful voice messaging capabilities, our solutions enrich today’s connected lifestyle and create new ways to engage consumers through smartphones and consumer IoT devices. The Smith Micro portfolio also includes a wide range of products for creating, sharing and monetizing rich content, such as: Please visit www.smithmicro.com for more information.

Smith Micro and the Smith Micro logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Smith Micro Software, Inc. All other brand and product names are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements regarding future events or results, including statements regarding the benefits we expect our customers and their end users to derive from our products and services and other statements that contain words such as “expect”, ” anticipate, “believe,” “plan,” “intend,” “might,” “want,” and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include changes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in consumer behavior, changes in customer or platform requirements, and restrictions on our ability to compete effectively with other software and technology companies . These and other factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our filings on Form 10-K and 10-Q, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements contained results differ. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management’s beliefs and beliefs, and we assume no obligation to update these statements to reflect events or circumstances that have occurred after the date of this press release.