Half of parents say their children have never spoken to them about harmful online content, polling suggests – with around a quarter unaware of what they are seeing on their smartphones.
The research by YouGov – which surveyed 1,030 parents of children aged eight to 14 – was commissioned by the government, as it consults on whether a social media ban for under-16s should be introduced.
It has introduced a “You Won’t Know Until You Ask” campaign aimed at encouraging parents to talk to their children about what they see online, and providing age-appropriate advice. The government said the vast majority of 11-year-olds in the UK now own a smartphone.
The guidance has been developed with expert organisations including the NSPCC, Parent Zone and Internet Matters, and will be available online from today.
In a separate survey by the UK Safer Internet Centre and Nominet to mark Safer Internet Day, more than half of teenagers aged 13 to 17 (60%) say they are worried about AI being used to make inappropriate pictures of them.
More than one in 10 (12%) said they have already seen people their age using AI to create sexual pictures and videos of other people.
It…
