UK Child Online Safety Statistics
Key data on how children use the internet, where risks arise, and what parents know — drawn from Ofcom, NSPCC, CEOP, and other authoritative sources.
About these statistics
The statistics on this page are drawn from publicly available research by organisations including Ofcom, the NSPCC, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP), Ditch the Label, Internet Matters, and the Office for National Statistics. Where possible, the most recent available data is cited. The online environment changes rapidly and figures should be understood as indicative rather than definitive. We update this page annually as new data becomes available.
Device ownership by age
Source: Ofcom Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2024
53%
of 7–11 year olds
own a smartphone
96%
of 12–15 year olds
own or have access to a smartphone
24%
of 3–4 year olds
use a tablet daily unsupervised
78%
of 5–7 year olds
go online at home
99%
of 16–17 year olds
go online regularly
44%
of 8–11 year olds
have a smart speaker in their home
Social media usage
Sources: Ofcom 2024; Internet Matters; Ditch the Label Annual Bullying Survey 2024
| Platform | Usage among 8–17 year olds | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 89% | Most widely used platform across all age groups |
| TikTok | 67% | Most popular among 13–16 year olds; minimum age 13 |
| 58% | Significant use among 11–17; minimum age 13 | |
| Snapchat | 52% | High use among 14–17; ephemeral messaging a concern |
| 47% | Minimum age 16; widely used below that | |
| Roblox | 59% | Primary platform for under-13s; includes chat functionality |
Key finding: 40% of 8–11 year olds who use social media have profiles on platforms with a minimum age of 13. Most report that account creation was straightforward with no effective age verification. (Ofcom 2024)
Cyberbullying prevalence
Sources: Ditch the Label Annual Bullying Survey 2024; Anti-Bullying Alliance; Internet Matters
1 in 5
children aged 10–15
experienced cyberbullying in the past year
38%
of cyberbullying victims
did not tell an adult about it
7%
of 12–17 year olds
reported cyberbullying to the platform
56%
of cyberbullying incidents
occur on Instagram or Snapchat
Girls are more likely to experience social exclusion and image-based cyberbullying; boys are more likely to experience gaming-platform harassment and threats. Both groups show elevated rates of depression and anxiety following sustained cyberbullying. (Ditch the Label 2024)
Online grooming and child sexual exploitation
Sources: NSPCC; CEOP Threat Assessment 2023; Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)
6,350+
grooming offences
recorded by police in England and Wales 2022/23
85%
of CEOP reports
involved initial contact through social media or gaming
7.1m
URLs removed by IWF
containing child sexual abuse material in 2023
The average age of victims in CEOP-reported cases is 12–15 years, though cases involving children as young as 7 are regularly recorded.
Grooming is increasingly happening through gaming platforms with voice and text chat features, including Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Discord. CEOP noted a significant increase in gaming-platform reports between 2021 and 2023.
The NSPCC helpline received over 9,000 contacts related to online grooming concerns in 2022/23 — an increase of 12% on the previous year.
Screen time averages
Sources: Ofcom 2024; King's College London / RCPCH; Common Sense Media UK
| Age group | Average daily screen time | Exceeds NHS guidance |
|---|---|---|
| 5–7 years | 2 hours 30 minutes | Yes (guideline: 1–2 hours) |
| 8–11 years | 3 hours 20 minutes | Yes (guideline: up to 2 hours recreational) |
| 12–15 years | 4 hours 44 minutes | No specific limit (RCPCH advises balance) |
| 16–17 years | 6 hours 5 minutes | No specific limit (self-regulation phase) |
Note: These averages include all screen use (educational, social, entertainment) and increased significantly post-pandemic. Weekend averages are typically 40–60 minutes higher than weekday figures.
Parental awareness gaps
Sources: Internet Matters Parent Survey 2024; Ofcom 2024; NSPCC
of parents believe their child's online activity is mostly supervised
but only 34% of children agree their parents know what they do online. The gap is largest among parents of 13–15 year olds.
of parents are unaware their child has a social media account
on at least one platform they did not consent to, according to Internet Matters research. This is most common with secondary school-aged children.
of parents have discussed online grooming with their child
despite 81% saying they consider it a significant risk. The gap between perceived importance and action taken is one of the most consistent findings in UK online safety research.
of parents have some form of parental control in place
but only 23% have controls on all devices their child uses. Games consoles and smart TVs are the most frequently unprotected devices.
parents do not know how to report content or a concerning account on social media
across the platforms their child uses, despite this being a basic and accessible safety tool on all major platforms. (Internet Matters 2024)
Where to find primary sources
All statistics on this page are drawn from publicly available research. Key sources include:
- •Ofcom Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report — published annually at ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data
- •NSPCC annual statistics — published at nspcc.org.uk/about-us/research-services
- •CEOP Threat Assessment — published at ceopalert.co.uk
- •Ditch the Label Annual Bullying Survey — published at ditchthelabel.org
- •Internet Watch Foundation Annual Report — published at iwf.org.uk
- •Internet Matters Parent and Child Survey — published at internetmatters.org/resources/research
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
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