Nearly 1.5 million(1) UK children aged 10-15 could be exposed to online risks in the home because they do not have adequate controls in place. A study by insurer Aviva found that more than a third of UK parents (34%) with children aged 10-15 allowed their children to use the internet without any parental controls. Only eight per cent of respondents said they actually supervised their children while online.
- Only 8% of parents of 10-15s supervise their children while online
- 60% of parents of 10-15s would let children lie about their age to access social media
- One in eight youngsters aged 10-15s on social media have been cyber-bullied
- 3% of children aged 10-15 on social media say they have been ‘groomed’
More than 1,000 parents with children in this ‘tweens’ age group and more than 900 children aged 10-15 themselves were surveyed as part of the latest Aviva Home report, which looks at how digital innovations are affecting homes and family lives.
Social media is cause for concern – but 60% of parents would permit underage access Two thirds of parents with children aged 10-15 said their children used social media, equating to 2.8 million users in this age group. When the children in this age group were interviewed, of those who used social media, more than a quarter (27%) said they had been upset because of comments made online - equivalent to around 765,000 10-15s(2). The same proportion (27%) had felt excluded because they were not invited to events or gatherings that they had seen online.
More worrying still, almost one in eight (12%) of these youngsters had experienced cyber-bullying - equivalent to more than 340,000 children aged 10-15. Meanwhile 10% said they had been ‘trolled’ (more than 170,000) and 3% said they had been ‘groomed’ online (over 85,000).
| Problem relating to social media | Percentage of children aged 10-15 who said they had experienced problem | Equivalent number of 10-15s affected rounded to nearest thousand(2) |
| Staying up late to stay online | 67% | 1.9 million |
| Feeling upset due to comments made online | 27% | 765,000 |
| Feeling excluded from an event posted online | 27% | 765,000 |
| Cyber-bullying | 12% | 340,000 |
| Trolling | 6% | 170,000 |
| Online ‘grooming’ | 3% | 85,000 |
Furthermore, in spite of any concerns, many parents are willing to allow their children access to social media, even if this means they must lie about their age. Six out of 10 (60%) parents said they would permit their children to access social media if they were under the minimum age for the site.
Cyber-bullying is parents’ biggest concern When asked about a number of threats posed to their children, either by the internet or through video games, the vast majority of parents with children aged 10-15 had some misgivings.
Cyber-bullying is the biggest cause for concern, with 70% of parents feeling troubled by the prospect. Around two thirds (65%) worry about their children using the internet generally, while more than half of parents (56%) questioned were concerned about their children becoming addicted to video games.
However, when children aged 10-15 were asked themselves, in most cases fewer than a third were concerned by the various risks(3).
Lindsey Rix, MD, Personal Lines Aviva UK General Insurance says: “Technology is now very much a part of our lives from a very early age. The ways in which we communicate, work and entertain ourselves are all changing as a result.
“While most of the families we spoke to in our study said that technology had had a positive impact on their households, there are also some downsides and concerns, as this particular piece of research shows.
“There are a wealth of ways in which parents can help their children to stay safe online, from putting parental controls in place on their devices or simply supervising them and teaching them about the risks associated with the internet. Technology offers a world of opportunities, but it pays to play safe.”
To find out more about how to stay safe on the internet visit http://www.aviva.co.uk/life/family-life/article/internet-safety-how-clued-are-you/
The full Aviva Home Report: Digital Living can be found here.
Ends
If you are a journalist and would like further information, please contact: Sarah Poulter: Aviva Press Office: 01904 452828 / 07800 691569 / sarah.poulter@aviva.com
Figures are taken from a poll carried out by Censuswide Research on behalf of Aviva in December 2016. All respondents were randomly selected from across the UK. 1,780 adult general consumers, 1,010 parents of children aged 10-15, and 931 children aged 10-15 were surveyed.
(1) Source: ONS data, population estimates by age, published 17 June 2016. Data shows there are 4,267,695 people aged 10-15 in the UK. 1.5 million figure relates to 34% of this total, the proportion of parents who said they didn’t have parental controls in place. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/adhocs/005825populationestimatesforenglandandwales1961to2014singleyearofage0to105
(2) Figures calculated according to number of 10-15-year-olds in UK according to ONS data (4,267, 695 – see note 1) and percentage of children in this age group (66.4%) who use social media (2,833,749) and the percentage of these affected by selected social media issues as detailed.
(3) As part of the study, Aviva interviewed 931 children aged 10-15 about their online concerns. Further findings are detailed below.
| Online risk | Percentage of parents concerned for their children aged 10-15 | Percentage of children aged 10-15 concerned for themselves |
| Using the internet overall | 65% | 21% |
| Becoming addicted to video games | 56% | 19% |
| Cyber-bullying | 70% | 37% |
| Trolling | 67% | 33% |
| Online ‘grooming’ | 65% | 30% |
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