Majority of parents have spoken to their child about online safety

New research has revealed that nearly all (95%) parents of children aged 11+ have spoken with their child about online safety. In addition to talking about it, more than half restrict their child’s access to the internet (57%) and their phone usage (51%), and half (50%) track their child’s whereabouts electronically.

The research comes from safeguarding software providers Impero, and was conducted with 2,037 parents of children aged 11-18. Three quarters said they have spoken about sexual relationships (76%) and consent in sexual relationships (73%). The most popular resources they used were online resources (52%), advice from schools (44%) and advice from other parents (31%). More than a quarter cited parenting books (28%) and advice from their own parents (28%). Some cited parenting influencers (13%) and charities (6%).

The updated relationships and sex education (RSE) curriculum is now compulsory, with primary and secondary schools required to teach it by the start of the summer term 2021. When asked if they would let their child partake in RSE, only a minority of parents (9%) said no, indicating that they value schools’ roles in tackling this topic.

The RSE curriculum introduces the topic of consent in secondary school. Parents generally agree with this, with more than a third (36%) saying that 11+ is the right age, and over quarter (26%) of respondents saying 15+ is an appropriate age.

The primary school curriculum now introduces children to different types of families, but this is more controversial among parents. Almost a third (29%) feel that 11+ is the correct age to learn about LGBTQI+ relationships, while the next most common response was 13+ (18.9%). A significant minority (13%) said they did not know.

Charlotte Aynsley, safeguarding advisor at Impero, says: “When it comes to safeguarding issues, the best thing that parents can do is communicate with their children, so it’s fantastic that so many are talking to their children about online safety. By comparison, parents need a little more support to have productive conversations about sexual relationships and consent – especially the mismatch between pornography and ‘real’ sexual experiences. It is a hard conversation to have but it’s an important one and there is lots of advice and support which parents can access online.

Justin Reilly, former teacher and now Impero CEO, says: “Speaking as a former teacher myself, the best thing that parents can do to support teachers is communicate with their children about these sensitive issues. Of course, teachers do everything they can to tackle these issues already, but that constant support from parents is crucial. Parents look to teachers when it comes to discussing sexual relationships, so the new RSE curriculum will be welcome news. Hopefully, teachers and parents will collaborate and share the best resources, as safeguarding issues are ultimately a team effort.”

Of the parents surveyed, 29 had children who identified as non-binary or a self-defined gender. Of those parents, less than a third restricted their child’s access to the internet (31%) or their phone (28%), and just over two fifths (41%) said they tracked their child’s whereabouts using technology. Nearly a fifth would not allow their child to partake in RSE (17%).   

Charlotte continues: “Those who identify as non-binary can often find a lot of support online, which is fantastic. We must make sure that these children and their parents have the support that they need from their schools. Anecdotally speaking, I know that this is something that school leaders are conscious of and working on.”