As children around the globe get into another school year, parents in the United Kingdom have expressed that their biggest concern for their kids is digital safety.
A recent poll initiated by the British mobile carrier operator, Tesco Mobile, found that 65% of the 800 parents surveyed were most worried about ensuring safety for their children online. This fear topped even bullying among parents of kids between the ages of eight and 16.
The findings come amid data showing that many UK parents are considering giving their children phones for the first time this school year, but there is obvious concern about whether that will come back to haunt them. Specifically, 25% of parents are planning to give their children a device prior to the start of the fall term while 91% of those parents are worried about adverse results.
Parents are hesitant about internet safety for their children for a variety of reasons. These range from having emotionally damaging potential like trolling on social media, scams, and inappropriate content to online trends, challenges, and digital predators, which can be deadly.
The rest of the top 10 concerns for parents, as outlined in the survey, are cyberbullying, misinformation, fake news, and their kids being exposed to “extremist views.”
The data collected in the Tesco Mobile study is an effort backed by Internet Matters, who is assisting in a project of the carrier company to provide customer-facing colleagues with comprehensive training on digital safety. The program—called Unlocking Little Digital Wins—is intended to train people to support both parents and caregivers when they are trying to set up their children’s phones safely.
The initiative was prompted by the realization that 36% of parents are unsure about where to seek help regarding digital mobile safety as they prepare to give their kids phones before school starts this month.
Additional findings in the survey were that 55% of parents who expressed some concern about their kids’ owning phones are convinced that it will open their eyes to a different world. 42% are nervous about not being able to control the use of the device, once it’s in their child’s hands. 23% of respondents reported that their concerns were impacted by negative stories from friends or the news.
A significant number of parents expressed that they would welcome more outside support to work through the issue while 28% say there are too few resources available. Another hopeful gesture from parents is that nearly 80% are set on talking with their kids about digital safety prior to giving them phones and almost 50% will limit time spent on the device.
An additional 34% have said that their kids will not be permitted to play games or access social media via phone apps. Rather, they will only be able to send messages and make calls.
Internet Matters’ digital director, Ghislaine Bombusa, said in a statement that the “ever-changing online landscape” calls for additional support for parents as they navigate the “digital journey” of their child. She added that this starts once families are “buying their child a phone,” hence the necessity for the Internet Matters and Tesco Mobile parental support effort ahead of the 2024 school year.
