Cybersecurity Education and Awareness Among Parents and Teachers: A Survey of Bahrain

In today's interconnected and digital world, the need to safeguard sensitive and personal information is vital. The rise in cybercrime, especially that involving minors and vulnerable groups, is alarming. Creating awareness of online risks and safe online behaviour is critical. The purpose of this study is to explore the importance of integrating cybersecurity education in schools, with a focus on practices within Bahrain. We explore prevention measures through user studies (n=251) with parents and teachers. The survey was designed and conducted that included 19 questions for parents (n=157) and 10 for teachers ( n=94). The findings revealed that children are highly vulnerable and exposed to various risks, with inadequate awareness of cybersecurity among parents and inadequate parental supervision. Parents and teachers have identified that some of the most common risks children face online are exposure to inappropriate content, such as pornography and interactions with strangers, as well as financial fraud. Three out of four parents are aware of the risks, yet only half apply parental controls to protect their children. Parents and teachers (69% parents, 64% teachers) strongly believe that educational institutions have the responsibility to improve cybersecurity awareness among children, and 87% of the participants reported that it is a key priority. However, awareness and distribution of information to students has been established as a key challenge and many believe that the most effective teaching mechanism is reported to be narrative-based, problem solving and video-based. Therefore, it is imperative to adopt proactive measures to improve the cybersecurity education process in Bahrain.