What the first year of FOSI’s Online Safety Survey Teaches us about Digital Parenting

Today, FOSI published the first-ever Online Safety Survey white paper. This paper covers research we conducted with kids aged 10-17 and parents of kids in this age range. We asked both groups their opinions on parental controls, household roles surrounding tech, online safety education, and more. 

This blog breaks down some of these findings and how caregivers can use them to become better digital parents. 

1. Learn about and adopt parental controls. We asked about parental control use across several devices, including tablets, laptops, and smartphones. We found that generally, parents are underutilizing these tools. This could be because these tools can be difficult to figure out and time-consuming to set up. 

If you’re one of those parents who don’t know where to start, talk to your kid to better understand how they spend their time online. What device do they use the most often? Start by implementing parental controls on that device, then expand from there. For example, if your child frequently plays video games on a gaming console, learn about the controls specific to that device, rather than trying to master the controls for every device and platform all at once. You may find that learning about one form of parental controls makes it easier to learn about the others.

Parental Control Use by Device Type

Q: Which of these devices have you/your parent(s)” set parental controls on? Base: Tablet owners (n=1,500), Desktop owners (n=1,032), Smartphone owners (n=1,763), Laptop owners (n=1,461), Smart TV owners (n=1,739), Game console owners (n=1,629).

2. Learn about your child’s screen time and activities. Our research shows that in most cases, kids are spending more time online than parents think. For example, 50% of parents said their children scrolled social media in the past week–but 60% of kids reported doing so. There’s a disconnect between how kids spend their online time and what parents think they are doing with this time.

Consider setting up activity monitors on your child’s phone to see what apps, platforms, and sites they use the most. Then, have a conversation to learn more about why they choose to spend time in those digital spaces. To get a better idea of your child’s digital habits, regularly check in and ask open-ended questions, such as: 

Why do you like to do this online activity? 

When you do this activity, how do you feel?

How else do you spend your time online?

Online Activities Done in the Last Week

Q: In the last week, which of the following activities has your child/you done online? Base: Parents (n=1,000),  Children (n=1,000)

3. Educate yourself and your child about scams and fraud. We found that kids are more concerned than their parents about viruses, data breaches, and scams. Children may be more aware of these risks because they learn about them at school. Unfortunately, their concerns are valid –scams and fraud are widespread.

As a parent, stay informed about how to combat online scams and talk to your kid about protecting themselves. Remind them to be cautious when communicating with strangers online, never to post or message personal information, and always come to you if something makes them feel uncomfortable. For more helpful information about scams that could affect your child, check out Experian’s 11 Common Scams Targeting Children and Teens.

Parents and Children’s Concerns

Q: Please rank your top 5 biggest concerns related to using the internet. Ranked 1-5 risk. Base: Total respondents (n=2,000), Parents (n=1,000), children (n=1,000)

4. Continue to learn about genAI. We asked kids if they had ever used genAI for the following tasks:

• Generating images and music 
• Brainstorming creative ideas
• Translating text in different languages
• Employing online research tools 
• Having a casual conversation

60% of kids reported using genAI for at least one of these tasks. We also found that more parents are now aware their children are using genAI for these tasks compared to six months ago, when we ran the first wave of this survey. It is encouraging that parents are beginning to understand the prevalence of genAI in their children’s lives. We encourage parents to continue learning. Talk to your child about how they use genAI. Bonus points if you ask them to show you how they use it!

5. Talk openly and often about online safety. We found that both parents and children see parents as primarily responsible for teaching online safety. Nearly half of children also see themselves as playing a role in their safety education. This suggests that digital safety is a family affair and a shared responsibility. 

To help your child enjoy the benefits of the internet while mitigating the risks, have frequent family conversations about online safety, before potential problems occur. Encouragingly, most children report feeling comfortable talking to their parents if something online makes them feel unsafe. Parents should use this trust as motivation to confidently initiate ongoing discussions about digital safety.

Q: Who do you feel is responsible for teaching your child/you about online safety? Base: Base: Parents (n=1,000), Children (n=1,000)

Q: Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I feel like I can talk to my parents if something happens online that makes me feel unsafe. Base: Parents (n=1,000), Children (n=1,00)

A family’s online safety journey can be long and winding. At times, parents and kids may not see eye to eye, leading to conflict. Our hope for the Online Safety Survey is to help better understand how parents and children are feeling about the online world, so that we can help families navigate their digital lives safely, and even have some fun along the way. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Online Safety Survey in fall 2025.