Better Internet for Kids

The research consisted of three nationally representative surveys - one of children, one of their parents, and a separate survey of adults. Some key findings included:

• most children are positive about the Internet and say there are good elements for their age. 44% say this is very true and 39% say it is fairly true.
• 62% of children and young people, aged 9-17 year, use social media. This rises from a quarter of 9–10-year-olds to nearly 90% of 15–17-year-olds.
• 82% of parents or carers say that they would most prefer to receive online safety information from the child’s school with 60% currently receiving information this way.

(Source: Report).

The research was commissioned following a recommendation of the National Advisory Council for Online Safety (NACOS) in 2019 that research be undertaken to address gaps in the evidence base about the state of online safety in Ireland. Fieldwork for the research was carried by Ipsos MRBI between December 2019 and October 2020, covering the period both before and after COVID-19 restrictions. The surveys of children and their parents were linked and a nationally representative sample of children, aged 9-17 years, as well as one of their parents, were interviewed in-person on a range of aspects dealing with their use of digital technologies and experiences of risks and safety. A total of 765 children and 765 parents were interviewed. A separate survey of a nationally representative sample of adults, 18 years and over, was undertaken. A total of 387 respondents participated in the survey of adults’ experiences of online safety.

Ireland

National Advisory Council for Online Safety. (2021). Report of a National Survey of Children, their Parents and Adults regarding Online Safety 2021. Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. https://www.gov.ie/onlinesafetyreport