Almost half of children have been exposed to more than a small amount of harmful content online, a new survey has revealed.
Nearly nine in 10 children between the ages of 13 and 15 reported seeing hateful content targeted at people with certain characteristics, and around four in five children saw content online showing or encouraging eating disorders, self-harm, or sexual imagery, without having sought it out.
The new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) surveyed 6,031 children aged between 10 and 15 on their experiences of crime online. Data released on Wednesday shows that 48 per cent of children report seeing “a lot” or “a fair amount” of hateful content online, and that 37 per cent of children saw violent or criminal content online.
Online safety campaigners said the findings were "deeply concerning" and urged the government to force Big Tech to remove harmful content and tackle “pernicious design choices”.
It comes as social media platforms will be banned for under-16s from as early as next spring as part of a government crackdown on children’s exposure to online harms.
Restrictions will also be enforced on gaming sites which, including blocks on functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children under-16.
The survey found 12 per cent of children aged 13 to 15 received at least one sexual message in the last 12 months, with girls receiving more than boys. A quarter of girls reported receiving sexual messages from someone aged 18 years and over, compared with around 1 in 10 boys (12 per cent).
Just over two-thirds of children (68 per cent) who received sexual messages in the last 12 months considered them unwanted. Girls (84 per cent) were more likely than boys (49 per cent) to receive unwanted sexual messages. Just over half of children (53 per cent) told someone about the unwanted sexual messages they received.
Around 1 in 10 children (11 per cent) who sent one or more sexual messages in the last 12 months said it had been posted somewhere or shown to someone else without their agreement.
Children also reported seeing physical violence, commonly fights between peers, as well as tutorials on how to carry out illegal acts (six per cent) and adverts to join a group of people who do violent, threatening or criminal things (three per cent).
Overall, the study found girls had higher levels of exposure to most types of harmful content. Girls were more likely than boys to have seen a lot of hateful content (21 per cent compared with 17 per cent, respectively), and a lot of content showing or encouraging self-harm (four per cent compared with two per cent).
Similarly, a higher proportion of girls than boys saw a lot of content encouraging eating disorders (10 per cent compared with three per cent), with girls being more likely to have searched for it (16 per cent) than boys (7 per cent).
Most children reported receiving information about blocking or reporting inappropriate or upsetting content, but 11.3 per cent said they had not received any information on staying safe online in the last 12 months.
Speaking to The Independent, Rowan Ferguson from the Molly Rose Foundation, said: “These findings are deeply concerning, but unfortunately unsurprising. We have repeatedly warned that Ofcom's weak implementation of the Online Safety Act would leave preventable harm unchecked, letting Big Tech off the hook for allowing children to encounter harmful content and predatory behaviour on their apps.
“Andy Burnham's government now has the opportunity to decisively reset our approach to online safety, making the change that children and parents are desperate for. Rather than relying solely on bans and access restrictions, this means finally forcing Big Tech to address the pernicious design choices that put children in harm's way, including the algorithms that bombard them with harmful content.”
The government has been contacted for comment.
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