CyberSafeKids has published a new report on children’s experiences in the digital world over the 2024/25 academic year. A Life Behind The Screens, provides a detailed overview of data collected from over 9,000 children (aged 8-15) across Ireland. The report highlights trends, risks, and recommendations to create a safer online world for children and young people.
Some key findings include:
- 26% of primary school children (aged 8–12) and 36% of secondary school (aged 12–15) used chatbots for homework, friendship and information.
- 28% of 8–12 year olds and 26% of 12–15 year olds experienced content or unsolicited contact that ‘bothered’ them, including exposure to horror, violence, sexual material, threats, scams, and dangerous ideas.
- For 8–12 year olds, this most commonly occurred on YouTube (60%) and Roblox (59%) for 8-12 year olds. For 12-15 year olds, this occurred most commonly on TikTok (51%) and Snapchat (40%).
- 42% of 8-12 year olds, and 62% of 12-14 year olds do not talk to their parents about their online activity.
- 63% of primary school-aged kids (79% in secondary school) say their parents can’t see what they're doing online.
- Roblox is the most popular social gaming platform(63%) for 8-12 year olds.
- 71% of 8–12 year olds used 13+ social media and instant messaging apps, including YouTube (60%), WhatsApp (29%), Snapchat (25%), and TikTok (23%).
- 47% of 8-12 year olds did not tell a parent when bothered by something online, rising to 73% for 12-15 year olds.
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