One in seven parents are not confident they know what their children are seeing or hearing online

Ipsos UK today released the findings of a new study exploring parents’ views on online safety for children, following discussions sparked by the television show Adolescence. The nationally representative poll of 622 British parents of children aged 5-16 revealed widespread concerns about what children are being exposed to online, and the measures parents are taking to protect them.

Key findings:

• Children are spending increasing amounts of time online: Two in three parents (68%) said their child uses the internet several times a day, with smartphones (73%) and tablets (59%) the most popular devices for getting online.
• Many children have internet access in their bedrooms: Two in three (65%) parents with a child 5-16 years old said at least one of their children has a device with internet access in their bedroom. This rises to 78% among parents of children aged 11-16.
• Parents are worried about what children are seeing and hearing online: One in seven (13%) parents said they are not confident they know what their own children are seeing or hearing online (87% confident). Three in four parents (75%) said they are concerned about what children in general are seeing, hearing, or doing online.
• Parents are taking steps to protect their children: Discussing the risks and dangers of online activity with their child / children (61%) was the most common measure parents are taking to protect their children online, followed by using parental controls or apps for specific devices (55%) and restricting when or where their child can use the internet (45%).

• Parents support stricter rules around smartphone use in schools: Three in four parents (74%) would support schools requiring students to deposit mobile phones into a basket at the start of each class, and returning the phones when students leave the class. A majority (54%) also support a smartphone ban in schools altogether. The same proportion (54%) have told or considered telling their child not to take a mobile phone to school. 1 in 5 (19%) have confiscated a smartphone to prevent their child taking it to school, with a further quarter considering it.

Commenting on the findings, Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said:

The television show Adolescence has sparked significant conversations around the issue of online safety for children. While most parents are taking steps to protect their children online, a significant proportion are not confident they know what their children are seeing or hearing online. In fact, only around one in three parents are ‘very confident’ they know. This is concerning, given the potential risks associated with excessive screen time and exposure to harmful content.

Technical note: 

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of Online British parents aged 23-65 with a child/children aged 5-16 years in Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between the 27th and 28th March 2025.  
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.