Horror as one in five children approached by strangers online

Most children have experienced online harms, such as illegal content, harassment, child sexual abuse, violence and "extreme" adult pornography.

By Lucy Johnston, Health and Social Affairs Editor of the Sunday Express

22:00, Sat, Jul 27, 2024 | UPDATED: 11:22, Mon, Jul 29, 2024

Teenager using smart phone

A study also shows the true scale of online risk to youngsters is greater than most adults realise (Image: Getty)

Most children are being harmed by online content and almost one in five has been approached by a stranger over the internet, new research shows.

The study also shows the true scale of online risk to youngsters is greater than most adults realise because only one in ten children tell parents or carers if they have come across illegal, explicit or harmful content.

The research, to be published next week was based on a study of 1,500 UK parents with children under 18 by online safety experts Verifymy.

It found 74 percent of parents say their children have experienced online harms, from illicit content to harassment such as child sexual abuse, violence and “extreme” adult pornography.

Many children also say they have experienced online sexual exploitation themselves as well as online bullying.

The study also found 16 percent of children have been approached by strangers online, 14 percent have accessed age-restricted content and 12 percent have been bullied or harassed via social platforms.

Online exploitation, harassment, bullying common

Online exploitation, harassment, bullying common (Image: Getty)

Forty eight percent of parents felt the need to talk to their children at least every week about online safety and forty percent do not believe the measures taken by online platforms go far enough to protect their children.

At the same time many parents are taking action, with 18 percent having deleted a child's social media account and 18 percent having reported incidents to social media sites. One in ten (11 percent) have reported incidents to the police.

Worryingly, 17 percent of parents believe their children are taking steps to hide what they are doing online. One in five (22 percent) find the number of online accounts their children have hard to manage and 23 percent worry that their children are accessing platforms and content via friends’ devices.

Most parents (70 percent) now favour smartphone bans in school, such as that introduced recently at the public school Eton, and nearly half (48 percent) support a total smartphone ban for under 16s.

Andy Lulham, COO at Verifymy, which offers online age verification and content moderation, said: “The level of harmful and illegal content online today is unacceptable. Parents are rightly worried. What we need to see now is more action from online platforms.

“While the Online Safety Act will take time to fully come into force, online platforms have an opportunity now to get on the front foot to win back the trust of parents and demonstrate their leadership to legislators. This starts with cleaning up content on their platforms and providing safe, age-appropriate experiences for children.”

He added: “That many parents favour a ban on smartphones should be a wake-up call for online platforms to make their platforms safe as quickly as possible.

"Bans aren’t the answer, as kids will undoubtedly find a way around them, and they overlook the undeniable advantages of connectivity for young people. But, if change doesn’t come fast, bans and other limitations will become increasingly popular with parents and policymakers, which are ultimately not the best approach to create a child-friendly internet.”

Carolyn Bunting, co-CEO of Internet Matters, an online safety organisation, said the research supported its own findings.

She added: “Children value and benefit from the independence and connectivity that online platforms provide, but they should be able to enjoy those benefits without the negative experiences that many have reported.”