Symantec's second annual Norton Online Living Report surveyed 9,000 adults and children in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, China, Japan, India, Australia and Brazil, asking a series of queries about their online habits.

In perhaps one of the most telling signs of increasing parental monitoring, one in five children admitted getting caught doing something their parents didn't approve of, although the survey doesn't define exactly what sort of activities.

Parents are using a variety of methods to get better tabs on the online use of their children. The U.K., for example, has the highest usage of software to control Internet use, such as blacklisting certain Web sites or limiting the amount of time a child can be online. Last year, one in five kids admitted they did something inappropriate online.

Other parents are opting to join their kids' circle of friends on social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, said Marian Merritt, Internet safety advocate for Symantec. The move adds a virtual "parent in the room," causing kids to reflect more about appropriate use of those sites, she said.

On one hand, kids could perceive that as a blatant form of spying, said Mo Shapiro, a relationship psychologist based in Northhampton, England, who reviewed the report. Shapiro said she heard of an incident of a child who was uncomfortable adding her mother's friend as a social-networking buddy.