Beyond Borders: U.S. and Australian Families on Online Safety, Screen Use, and the Digital Lives of Kids

Our increasingly digital world has brought with it an increased focus on kids’ digital lives. In the past few years, online safety has become a key issue for parents, policymakers, and educators. Online safety education and decision-making is often viewed as the purview of the family unit, with parents making top-down decisions for young people. However, there is also a general perception that young people know more about navigating the online world than their caregivers do. This creates an interesting tension worthy of investigation.

With this in mind, the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) created the Online Safety Survey (OSS), a bi-annual survey that aims to learn more about the digital habits and perceptions of children ages 10-17, and parents of children in that same age range. This white paper covers findings from Wave Four of the OSS, which was fielded in Spring 2026. Importantly, Wave Four and Wave Three (Fall 2025) of the OSS were fielded in both the United States and Australia. This gave FOSI unique insight into Australian children’s and parent’s perceptions of online life during a time when children’s digital well-being was at the forefront of Australian public discussion – before and after the Australian social media ban took effect.

Together, these findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, families, industry leaders, and families seeking to better understand and support children’s online experiences.