Cybersecurity Policy Report, U.K. Privacy Agency Highlights Parental Concerns About Children’s Online Activities, (Aug 20, 2026)
By Tony Foley
Recent research conducted by the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has revealed what the agency called a “significant gap” between how much control parents believe they have over their children’s online experience and the reality of their children’s digital lives.
In a news release yesterday, ICO outlined the results of three new studies that “paint a picture of children living deeply digital lives from a young age, parents feeling overwhelmed, and children's digital lives becoming more complex as they get older.” The release of the research came as the agency updated its Children's Code strategy, which shows ICO’s regulatory actions have secured practical changes to online services that it said have helped to protect millions of children. The news release also highlights the ICO’s “Switched on to Privacy” campaign launched in April and designed to assist parents of younger children to start conversations about protecting personal information online (CPR, April 8).
Among the findings of ICO’s research, following a survey of more than 4,000 children aged eight to 17 and their parents, are the following:
More than a third (36%) of children talk or play with people they only know online or do not know at all (40% for children aged 14-16);
More than half (52%) of children said they would find a way to circumvent age checks if they wanted to access a platform or service, with the number rising to 64% among children whose parents had previously helped them avoid an age check, which 31% of parents admitted to having done; and
While 91% of parents reported using controls or monitoring tools, 41% of children said they tried to circumvent them, and of those kids, 49% said they found it easy to do.
According to ICO, the findings suggest that setting parental controls is an important step but not a substitute for regular check-ins.
The report also highlights the results of in-depth interviews with 30 children aged eight to 17 and their parents, which indicated that parents are feeling resigned rather than empowered, with some even indicating that location sharing has become a “digital umbilical cord” for many parents who are willing to tolerate the resulting data collection as a trade-off for reassurance.
ICO urged parents of younger children to recognize from the findings that the habits and norms children develop in their early years could shape how they navigate the Internet as they get older. “Children today are growing up in an extraordinary digital world, and it's completely understandable that many parents feel like they're one step behind,” said Katie Searle, ICO’s director–children’s strategy. “The findings are clear: children who discuss online privacy with their parents on a weekly basis are more likely to feel that privacy settings keep them safe. Frequent, open conversation works.”
News: InternationalLegislation DataPrivacy DataSecurity