Online Safety

In 2015 Internet Matters released research which showed how children were leaving their parents behind when it comes to knowledge and use of the internet.

It revealed the challenges that parents face in keeping up with what their children are doing online, with 48% believing their children know more about the internet than they do and 73% of children agreeing.

However, just a year later, the research was repeated and showed that the gap in tech-knowledge between parents and their children is narrowing.

It showed that parents had a greater understanding of the common social media platform that their children were using; parents had overtaken children uploading photos, videos and music online and the humble desktop computer was almost retired as 6 out of 10 parents turned to smartphones to go online.

Some interesting facts As of 2017

More than half of the world's population now uses the internet
It's only been 25 years since Tim-Berners-Lee made the World Wide Web available to the public
2.8 billion people are actively using social media globally

So, as parents, scientists, mental health specialists, industry itself is playing catch up.

One of the big issues is the impact on identity.

This is an outline of the key milestone where children may need guidance from parents or teachers to help them make safe and smart choices online.

Other key life things to think about include the following: