The influence of parents versus peers on Generation Y Internet ethical attitudes

•We examine the parents versus peer influence on children’s online ethical attitudes.•Protective parental style has the greatest impact on children.•Strict discipline style has no significant influence on children.•Peers are more influential if agreement between parents and children is lacking.•We stress the methodological necessity to measure perceptions in family dyads.

We examine the role of parental style versus peer influence on Generation Y’s attitudes towards online unethical activities using a survey of a matched parent–child sample. Results suggest that a protective parental style has the greatest impact on Generation Y’s online ethical attitudes, while a strict discipline style has no significant influence. Peers are more influential, but not as influential as when there is agreement between parents and their children on a specific activity. Methodologically, the research highlights the necessity to measure family dyads and assess whether or not parents and their children’s perceptions are the same.