Our Pace of change study highlights 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.
Key findings
Time spent online
Children are going online typically for three hours a day – an hour longer than their parents.
Use of apps
The proportion of children who use the two most popular apps – Snapchat and Instagram – is double the proportion of parents. Children also use a much wider range of social media networks and apps.
Online behaviour
One in three children hide what websites they have been visiting from their parents. One in three talk to people online who they have never met in real life.
Nearly one in five have given out personal information like their full name, address and telephone number. One in five change the safety settings their parents have put on their social network accounts.
