Over half of parents log on to social networking websites only to find out what their children are upto, a study has found.
About 55 percent of mothers and fathers in Britain thought nothing of snooping around on their children's profiles to see what they are doing, the Daily Mail reported.
Conducted by computing company Bullguard Internet Security, the study revealed that parents did it to avoid having "awkward conversations" with children. But nearly a quarter admitted it was the only way they could find out about their kids' lives.
The figures indicate parents were turning increasingly crafty to keep tabs on their children in the digital age.
Almost one in 20 mothers and fathers even log on with a friend's account to avoid detection and gain better access to their children's profiles.
Websites like Facebook and MySpace along with microblogging site Twitter have become quite popular among children and youngsters.
The study also revealed that while 55 percent of parents said they did spy on their children, 40 percent said they did not.
But the rest five percent said they would do so if they knew how.
{{/usCountry}}But the rest five percent said they would do so if they knew how.
{{/usCountry}}Around 41 percent said they monitor their children's status updates and 39 percent look at their "Wall", which is where they and friends write messages.
Just under one third - 29 percent - took a look at pictures their children had uploaded.