Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World 2026

Year 5 annual index report

This report is the fifth in an annual series evaluating and tracking impacts of technology on children’s digital wellbeing.

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Important findings in the Year 5 report
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Supporting resources

Key findings in the Year 5 report

In this year’s report, we look at how children’s online lives have changed over the past four years. The most striking change is the amount of time children spend online and their struggle to regulate this.

The findings are split into four sections:

Setting the scene: Explore how children spend their time online and the context for changes to their wellbeing.
A balancing act: Dive into the complexities of children’s digital lives and the drivers of wellbeing. We explore how time spent online is shaping children’s digital experiences.
No significant shift: Children are experiencing persistent levels of harm online. We explore the factors which influence these experiences.
Parenting in a digital world: Explore parents’ awareness of their children’s online lives along with the tools and techniques they use to support their children’s online safety.

Key stats about children’s digital wellbeing

68%

Children now spend 23 hours a week online, up from 16 hours in 2022. They are engaging more actively, with two-thirds of children creating content to post online.

83%

Several positive measures of wellbeing have increased over the past four years. For example, 83% of children say being online is important for staying in contact with friends or family (up from 77% in 2022).

46%

46% of children report that they keep playing the same games or watching the same shows or films even when they are not enjoying them. 40% are turning down real-world social opportunities to stay online.

50%

Half of all parents are now using parental controls, an increase from 43% three years ago. They are also more likely to use tools to limit their child’s screen time (up to 31% from 18%).