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A recent survey highlights the ease with which school children access harmful and dangerous online content, despite ongoing demands for better online safety.
Conducted by Net Aware, NSPCC, and O2’s social network tool, the survey covered 1,725 students, revealing that 50% had encountered sexual, violent, or adult material on social media, apps, and games. Additionally, 78% of the children admitted to joining social media platforms before the legal minimum age of 13.
The findings indicate that young people are more likely than parents to encounter harmful content on three-quarters of the reviewed platforms. While young users rated Chatroulette, Omegle, and Tumblr as high-risk for inappropriate content, parents generally perceived these sites as low-risk, underlining the need for greater parental awareness about the sites their children visit.
NSPCC offers support for children through ChildLine and guidance for parents via its partnership with O2. For help with parental controls, parents are encouraged to contact the O2 helpline or consult with a guru in-store.
Net Aware, the UK’s only parent-oriented guide to 50 popular social media platforms, includes detailed information on apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. The guide draws insights from more than 500 parents on the ‘Parent Advisory Board’ and 1,725 children, covering platform features, potential risks, and safety tips. Parents can access Net Aware online or via a free app for iOS and Android.
According to O2’s Marketing and Consumer Director, keeping pace with children’s familiarity with various digital platforms can be challenging for parents. This underscores the importance of parental involvement in their children’s digital activities for online safety.
While nearly half of the platforms on Net Aware have enhanced their privacy and reporting features, over 60% of young people surveyed feel that social media companies must do more to protect young users.
Starting a Conversation About Online Safety
- Book an appointment with an O2 guru: guru.force.com
- Visit NSPCC’s Share Aware page for safety tips: nspcc.org.uk
- Learn more about your child’s social media use on Net Aware: net-aware.org.uk
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