A new study by Testra has shown that Australian parents have failed to teach their children with cyber skills despite spending a lot of money buying their kids with the latest gadgets.

More than a third of Australian parents surveyed with children aged 10 to 17 will send a child to school this year with both a laptop computer and a mobile phone.

The research, however, revealed that many of these parents haven't set aside time to talk to their kids about cyber-safety issues such as protecting their privacy and managing approaches from cyber-bullies.

The Telstra research found:

* Parents have spent up big on school tech. Almost four in ten (38 per cent) say they recently purchased a laptop for their child's schooling and almost one in four (24 per cent) say they have purchased their child a mobile phone.

* Mobiles and laptops top the list of school-bound gadgets. Seven in ten Aussie parents (74%) say their child will take a mobile phone to school this year while half (54%) say a child will take a laptop to school.

* New tech not being accompanied by new skills. Almost one in five parents admitted that they haven't spoken to their kids recently about how to protect themselves from approaches from cyber strangers, while a third say they haven't spoken to their kids recently about how to respond to cyber-bullies.

* Mobile safety essentials often forgotten. One quarter of the parents haven't spoken to their kids recently about who they should share their mobile number with and almost four in ten (38%) haven't discussed how to keep access to their phone secure through the use of a PIN and password.

"In this digital age, internet connected devices such as laptops, mobile phones and mobile tablets can be just as important to learning as paper, pens and text books," said Darren Kane, Telstra's Officer of Internet Trust and Safety.

"They are a great way for kids to access online resources like news archives, virtual libraries, dictionaries and videos.

"But like any device connecting to the internet, mobiles and laptops present children with risks they don't necessarily understand. Our research shows that while parents are equipping their kids with technology to assist their studies, some are forgetting to equip them with the skills required to use these tools safely - an essential part of a positive online experience."

Telstra's research also revealed:

* Aussie mobile ownership can start young. The majority of parents (73%) believe kids should be able to access their own mobile when they become a teen or enter high school - while one in five parents think kids should be able to access their own mobile phone in primary school.

* Early access to laptops seen as crucial. Two thirds of parents (65%) think their kids should be able to access a laptop as young as possible or at primary school.

* Parents are concerned by cyber safety risks. Parents main concerns include: unsolicited contact from strangers (with 84% of parents surveyed saying this concerns them); the publication of their child's private content like photos or address details online (69%); cyber-bullying (66%); internet scams (64%) and identity theft (with 63% of parents saying it is a concern).

* Parents often relaxed about monitoring kids' internet time. Only 33% of parents closely monitor their kid's use of the internet, with 43% saying they 'keep an eye on it' and a further 22% saying they 'tend to be relaxed' and trust their child.

"Teaching kids when it's appropriate to share personal information, explaining what to do if approached by a cyber bully or online stranger and how to apply social network privacy settings should be part of every parent's back to school checklist," Mr Kane said.