A new Intel study into U.S. teens' and pre-teens' online behavior reveals that while children are becoming more aware of potential risks to their safety parents are growing increasingly worried.

This is particularly true in the case of forming online relationships with strangers, with one in five parents surveyed admitting it was their greatest concern.

Yet despite fears for their children's safety, parents aren't making knee-jerk reactions or introducing blanket bans -- 52 per cent of parents are comfortable if their children are friends with adults on social media, and 56 per cent would be happy for their children to be online friends with their teachers.

What's more, 89 per cent of parents value the importance of giving their children online or cyber security training. Over 80 per cent of children are worried about risks to their privacy and personal information online and 79 per cent of those surveyed indicated that they are learning about safe internet practices from their parents.

"Parents must have frequent and open conversations with their children about their online behavior as well as its risks and rewards," said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at Intel Security. "This type of transparent communication may help build stronger trust between parents and children; hopefully this will encourage children to share more information about their online interactions, and, in turn, alert their parents when they encounter any suspicious activity or conversations online."

But as well as conversations about the potential risks, parents are also looking to social media as a way of policing their children -- 84 per cent of parents surveyed with a social media account said that they have used it to follow their child's online interactions and learn more about his or her friends and followers.

However, there's a risk that such behavior could be seen by children as cyber snooping and drive them to other networks or forums.

Therefore, to help parents help their teens navigate the online world, Davis recommends that open and frank conversations about everything from cyberbullying to selfies should to be supported with greater tech understanding.

For instance, introduce rules forbidding the sharing of passwords and set up passwords and passcodes on children's devices. During the survey, 29 per cent of children admitted knowing a friend's password and of that group, 56 per cent said that they'd used those login details to keep tabs on others.

New social networks spring up often and new types of device go on sale every year. That means that parents need to keep track of what's happening to make informed decisions. Likewise, Davis recommends that parents have a social media presence for the same reason.