Research findings from Internet Matters reveal that a quarter of children have been contacted online by strangers, a fifth have seen violent content, and two-fifths have encountered fake information.
The charity’s Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World Index research is published every year and this time is based on the experiences of 1,054 children aged 9 to 16 and their parents.
The research aims to track the impact of digital technology on children's physical, social, emotional, and developmental wellbeing and family life.
Published this week, it warns that there has been “no reduction in children’s experiences of harm online” since last year and that children seem to be finding it harder to “navigate and recover from the challenges of the digital world”.
On the plus side, parents are becoming more aware of their children’s activities and childrem themselves are becoming more open with their parents about what they do online, the study finds.
Ultimately, however, 38% of the parents still believe that excessive time online is negatively affecting their child’s health.
The report comes with an uncomfortable warning: “We are seeing an increasingly polarised online landscape – where the internet is becoming both more essential and, at the same time, more distressing for children. This creates a complex challenge for both parents and children.”
It warns that fewer children are feeling safe online this year compared to last year (77% vs 81%) – this picture is worse for vulnerable children, only 70% of whom say they feel safe online.
The report describes “a growing sense of unease”. It states: “Two-thirds (67%) of children have experienced harm online. While this remains in line with children’s experiences in previous (years), children report finding many of these experiences more upsetting or frightening this year. Parents too feel the impacts of harm are getting worse.”
The study warns that 27% of the 1,054 children said they have been contacted by strangers online, while 22% have encountered violent content, 19% have received bullying, abusive, or upsetting messages and comments from people they don’t know, and 41% have had to deal with false information.
Parents’ concerns about the impact of screen-time reveal that children have experienced more bullying from strangers online this year (17%), more unwanted sexual attention (7%), and more in-game and in-app spending (8%).
Parents are also more worried about the impact of these experiences on their children – more parents believe that their child viewing graphic violent content has led to serious distress, upset, or harm (31%) and more parents think that content promoting unhealthy body image or eating habits has caused distress to their children (27%).
It all means that in 2025 fewer children are feeling safe online, online harms are getting more upsetting, and parents are more worried about the impact on their children.
The report continues: “Taken together, these three trends suggest a troubling shift: As experiences of harm remain stubbornly high, children’s emotional resilience seems to be weakening, making it harder for them to navigate and recover from the challenges of the digital world.”
However, the survey also reveals parents are “stepping up their digital game” and are becoming more aware of their children’s online activities, including what they do online, the games they play, the websites and apps they visit, and who they are interacting with.
Indeed, the report confirms that a growing number of parents now consider themselves stricter about their children's technology use and online time and are using tools and controls to manage time spent online.
However, predictably it is parents in the highest socio-economic group who are far more likely to manage their children’s online behaviour (23%) compared to those in the lowest socio-economic group (11%).
Carolyn Bunting, co-CEO of Internet Matters, said: “It is encouraging that parents are taking action, however experiences of online harm remain stubbornly high, with two-thirds of all children experiencing harm online.
“We should be alarmed that those negatives are growing faster, that children are feeling more affected and upset by these experiences, and that parents are becoming more worried that excessive time online is negatively affecting their child’s physical and mental health.
“Our index shows there is still a very long way to go until Britain becomes the safest place in the world for children to be online.”
- Internet Matters is a not-for-profit, industry-funded body whose stated mission is to help families stay safe online, providing resources for parents, carers and educational professionals. It was established in 2014 by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media O2.
- Internet Matters: Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World Index, 2025: www.internetmatters.org/hub/research/childrens-wellbeing-in-a-digital-world-index-report-2025/