Nearly third of children 'can go online whenever I want' with TikTok most popular app
A report which is being published to mark Safer Internet Day shows 92% of children own their own smart device, including 89% of nine-year-olds.
More children are now regularly accessing social media apps since the onset of the pandemic, with parents being warned to remain vigilant against the risks associated with increased time spent online.
New data from online safety charity CyberSafeKids shows that of more than 2,000 children aged eight-12 who were surveyed, 82% are now using social media apps. Last September, the charity's annual report showed that in 2019 that figure was 65%.
We are now CYBERSAFEKIDS -we are excited to launch our new CYBERSAFEKIDS website tomorrow morning. Same aim. New name! Keeping kids safe online #SID2021 pic.twitter.com/Ryzpc9SnrJ
— CyberSafeKids (@CyberSafeKidsIE) February 8, 2021
The new snapshot report, which is being published to mark Safer Internet Day, shows 92% of children own their own smart device, a similar percentage to that in 2019, including 89% of nine-year-olds.
The most popular social media app is TikTok, with 46% of children using it, then WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, and House Party. All those apps have a minimum age requirement of 13, except WhatsApp, which is 16.
The survey also found 28% of respondents said they can "go online whenever I want", while 15% said there were "no rules" around internet use, which CyberSafeKids said suggests that lockdown is also bringing a relaxation of rules around internet use and access. The survey also found 28% of children have friends or followers that are strangers.
CyberSafeKids chief executive Alex Cooney said the impact of the pandemic, with an increased reliance on devices to stay connected, had been a contributory factor in the growth in use of social media apps among children.
"That is the big change," she said.
"What you are seeing is a surge in social media use because a lot of parents are accepting that because their children's social lives are so limited, especially in lockdown, we can't go to each other's houses, we can't do all the things we normally do with our friends, apart from online.
Ms Cooney said the mix of homeschooling and parents working from home was also a complicating factor, and that parents should have safe search and ideally parental controls in place on devices, as well as having apps like YouTube in restricted modes as "you cannot watch them all the time".
She added there had been heightened activity on the dark web and other forums in relation to adults seeking to interact with children since the onset of the pandemic.
She said the questions parents needed to ask regarding their children were "what are they posting, what are they consuming, who are they talking to and where are they doing it. If it's behind a closed door in a bedroom, how do you know?"
CyberSafeKids has launched its new CyberSafe Tool for Schools – https://cybersafetoolforschools.ie/ to support primary schools to achieve best practice in online safety.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has published the results of its own survey, this time of adults and parents, and found the majority of parents check a child’s online behaviour at least sometimes, such as the apps they have downloaded (69%) or the online content they view (69%).
It also found 67% of respondents have become more conscious of their privacy online over the last year.
