Kids Exposed to Unsafe Content Within 10 Minutes of Going Online

In our super-connected world, the internet is like a giant playground for our kids. But just like any playground, we need to keep an eye out to make sure they're playing safe. A recent study by the folks at VerifyMy, an online safeguarding tech leader, found out in new research that our kids aren't as safe online as we may think they are.

So, here’s the scoop. Out of 2,000 kids in the US and UK who shared their online experiences, about 1 in 10 ran into stuff online that’s definitely not kid-friendly, including illegal content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). It's a bit of a wake-up call for us to make sure we're doing all we can to keep our kiddos safe.

Get this - kids as young as eight have accidentally found stuff meant for grown-ups, like pornography. And it doesn’t take long; some kids bump into something they shouldn’t in just 10 minutes of being online. From seeing things about self-harm to extreme violence, and even some really nasty types of pornography, our kids are stumbling into content that's way out of their league.

But here’s a kicker - when they see something that makes them uncomfortable, only about 11% would actually talk to their parents or another adult about it. And even fewer, just 9%, would think to report it to someone who could help. It sounds like we need to get better at chatting with our kids about what they're up to online and making sure they know it’s totally okay to come to us with anything weird or yucky they find.

• Internet Safety Guide for Kids
• How to Keep Your Teen (or Tween) Safe Online
• How Can I Protect My Child from Strangers Online?
• How Can I Secure My Internet Connection?
• What to Teach Your Children about Home Safety
• What Age Should Kids Get a Phone?