Symantec conducted the Norton Online Living Family Survey in March 2009, which surveyed more than one thousand parents of children aged 8-15 and more than one thousand children aged 8-15. According to the survey, technology is creating a gap in family communication. In fact, while parents are concerned about online dangers, they may lack the savvy to talk with kids. However, the data reveals that parents and kids, even teens, do want to talk to each other more frequently about their day-to-day lives.

To encourage parents to be more involved in their children’s online lives, Symantec has launched the Norton Cyber Safe Challenge, giving schools across the country the opportunity to win cash awards totaling $35,000. With school back in full swing, kids are making new friends and exploring new activities – both online and off – and, with each new grade level, they’re not just getting older, they’re getting more computer-savvy. But, while parents are concerned their kids will come across Internet dangers, they’re not talking to them about appropriate online behavior.

The Norton Cyber Safe Challenge runs from October 1 through November 15, 2009 as part of the activities associated with October’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The grand prize of $20,000 will be awarded to the school with the highest number of subscriptions to Norton’s family safety service, OnlineFamily.Norton. Schools can register to participate at http://onlinefamily.norton.com/contest.  There are no financial costs for schools to participate in the program. Norton will offer families that participate in the program unlimited free access to OnlineFamily.Norton.

econd and third place prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively will be awarded to the schools with the highest percentage of parents participating relative to school size, evening the playing field for smaller schools.

“We put together the Norton Cyber Safe Challenge because we wanted to create a win-win for schools and families,” said Marian Merritt, Symantec’s Internet Safety Advocate. “Schools have a chance to receive extra funding and families benefit from access to OnlineFamily.Norton, which opens up communication about online activities in the household and helps keep kids safe online.”

About OnlineFamily.Norton

OnlineFamily.Norton is available at http://onlinefamily.norton.com in English with comprehensive filtering for U.S. and Canadian sites.

As a Web-based service, OnlineFamily.Norton is able to track the Internet activities of each child in real-time. Parents enjoy peace of mind with instant reporting and the convenience of accessing their account anytime from any Internet-connected device.