UK Child Online Safety Statistics
Key data on how children use the internet and where risks arise — drawn from Ofcom, the Office for National Statistics, the NSPCC, the Gambling Commission, the Internet Watch Foundation and the Children's Commissioner.
About these statistics
Every figure on this page is drawn from publicly available research by UK authorities and links directly to its original source, with the year it refers to. We show only figures we can trace to a named source; where a number could not be verified against its source, we have left it out rather than repeat it. The online world changes quickly, so treat these as the best current evidence rather than the final word, and follow the links for the full context. We review this page as new data is published.
How children spend time online
Where UK children spend their time online, how much of it there is, and which services dominate it.
2h 59m
the average time UK children aged 8 to 14 spend online each day, across smartphones, tablets and computers.
Ofcom, 202596%
of UK children aged 8 to 14 use YouTube in a typical month — more than any other online service.
Ofcom, 202561%
of UK children aged 8 to 14 use Roblox — the most far-reaching games app for this age group.
Ofcom, 202552%
of the average child's daily time online is spent on just two services — YouTube and Snapchat.
Ofcom, 202564%
of children use Snapchat by age 12, up from 27% at age 10 — social platforms take hold fastest between the ages of 10 and 12.
Ofcom, 2025Gaming and in-app spending
Gaming is near-universal among UK children, and spending inside games and apps is now a mainstream part of it.
53%
of children who play online games spend money within them, on items such as skins, loot boxes and battle passes.
Ofcom, 202530%
of young people (school Years 7–12, roughly ages 11–17, across Great Britain) had gambled with their own money in the past year — up from 27% in 2024. This is why the gambling-style mechanics in loot boxes matter.
Gambling Commission / Ipsos, 202559%
of young people have some experience of gambling, and 49% had gambled in some form in the past year. This wider figure counts any gambling — including with family, or free-to-play and arcade-style games — whereas the 30% above counts only young people gambling with their own money.
Gambling Commission / Ipsos, 2025Grooming and online exploitation
Police-recorded offences and helpline data on how children are contacted, groomed and coerced online.
7,062
Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded by UK police in 2023/24 — a record high.
NSPCC, 2023/24+89%
the rise in recorded online grooming offences since 2017/18, when the offence first came into force.
NSPCC, 202419%
of children aged 10–15 exchanged messages online with someone they had never met in person.
NSPCC / ONS, 2020Cyberbullying
How many children experience bullying online, and who is most affected.
847,000
children aged 10 to 15 in England and Wales (19.1%) experienced an online bullying behaviour in the year ending March 2023.
Office for National Statistics, 202322.5%
of girls aged 10 to 15 experienced online bullying, compared with 16.0% of boys.
Office for National Statistics, 2023Exposure to pornography
How early and how often children encounter online pornography, much of it accidentally.
27%
of children had seen online pornography by the age of 11; the average age a child first sees it is 13.
Children's Commissioner for England, 2025AI-generated harms
An emerging threat: the use of generative AI to create child sexual abuse imagery.
+380%
the rise in actionable AI-generated child sexual abuse reports the IWF identified in 2024.
Internet Watch Foundation, 202465%
of the AI-generated child sexual abuse videos the IWF identified in 2025 were the most extreme category.
Internet Watch Foundation, 2025Sources
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
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