Avast Helps Families Flip the Script on Safety with the Safe Tech Talk

Families urged to prioritize Cyber Safety education as over half of older loved ones have fallen victim to cybercrime

TEMPE, Ariz. and PRAGUE, July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As people try to keep up with rapidly evolving online safety threats and scams, their parents and grandparents may need their help. According to Avast, a consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), 59% of people's older loved ones have fallen victim to cybercrime. Avast has found over 80% of cybercrime is originating from scams and social engineering – where cybercriminals manipulate people into giving money or personal information. Today Avast is offering new resources, tools and knowledge to help bridge the safety gap and prevent cybercrime from claiming more victims.

If your parents still think "phishing" happens on a lake, it might be time for the talk. You had "the talk" once - as the awkward teen on the receiving end. Now it's your turn to lead it, and this time, it's for your parents and it's about staying safe online. But Gen Z and Millennials have their work cut out for them. The role reversal of talking with parents and grandparents about safety can pose a challenge.

The Avast Safe Tech Report reveals 84% of adults have warned their older loved ones about their risky online behavior, but many are not listening. Only half (53%) of those who were warned took the advice and changed their habits. Others ignored the warnings, got confused or insisted "I've got this." Meanwhile, nearly half of older adults (47%) are still writing their passwords down on a piece of paper, according to their younger family members.

"Technology moves fast and we often focus on its impact on younger generations, but we can't ignore how it affects our parents and grandparents, too," said Leyla Bilge, Global Head of Scam Research for Avast. "Think of the safety guidance you would get on a flight – put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. The same applies to Cyber Safety: learn the tips and then you can help family and friends. Even a single conversation could make a big difference."

"Like many of us, I've seen firsthand how easily a loved one can be misled by a convincing scam," said Jorij Abraham, Managing Director, Global Anti-Scam Alliance. "Empowering families to talk openly about online safety is essential. We need to make sure our parents and grandparents feel supported, not ashamed, when it comes to digital security."

To take control of your Cyber Safety together with your loved ones, Avast experts encourage having the Safe Tech Talk and focusing on these top five best practices:

Have the Safe Tech Talk

• Learn Cyber Safety best practices and share them with your loved ones.
• If you receive scam messages, texts, or calls, warn friends and family and share the examples to spark a conversation about safety.
• Offer support and help with safeguarding their devices, personal information and finances.
• You can put up this printable flyer with more safety tips in the home office or wherever your loved ones are sure to see the reminders.

Practice Safe Tech

1. Strengthen Password Habits: Use long, unique passwords for each account – at least 15-20 characters with a mix of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid personal information and consider using a password manager, such as Norton Password Manager.
2. Spot the Red Flags: Be cautious with unsolicited emails, texts or calls claiming to be from banks, Medicare or tech support. Scams often create a false sense of urgency to trigger quick action.
3. Know the Common Scams: Become familiar with the top scams targeting older adults, such as phishing, tech support hoaxes, romance scams, fake invoice scams, fake software updates and Medicare fraud.
4. Set Up Smart Safety Tools: Protect phones, computers and tablets with security software that includes scam protection, such as Avast with Scam Guardian, and use a secure browser such as Avast Secure Browser. Keep devices and apps updated.
5. Make Cyber Safety a Team Effort: Create a "phone-a-friend" plan and run things by someone you trust if you're in doubt about whether a message or request is legitimate.

Just like locking your doors or testing your smoke alarms, Cyber Safety can become part of the routine. Make it a family priority by being a trusted source for guidance and remind your loved ones – there's no such thing as a silly question when it comes to staying safe online, only missed chances to protect yourself. To explore the full findings from the 2025 Avast Safe Tech Report and get practical advice to kickstart your own Safe Tech Talk, please visit blog.avast.com/fighting-scams-together or read the full report and more at https://newsroom.gendigital.com/Avast-Safe-Tech-Report.

About The Avast Safe Tech Report

The study was conducted online within the United States by Dynata on behalf of Gen from 24th April to 8th May 2025 among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, and region, to be nationally representative. 

About Avast

Avast is a leader in digital security and privacy, and part of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands, including Norton, Avast, LifeLock and MoneyLion. Avast protects hundreds of millions of users from online threats, for Mobile, PC or Mac, and is top-ranked and certified by VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, SE Labs and others. Avast is a member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware, No More Ransom and Internet Watch Foundation. Learn more at Avast.com.

SOURCE Gen Digital Inc.