Some 97 per cent of UK teenagers aged 13 to 15 now own a mobile
phone: an impressive statistic, if not an entirely surprising
one. By contrast, the fact that almost one-fifth of all UK
children aged 3 to 5 also own a phone may raise eyebrows (Ofcom,
2025a).
Our kids are essentially immersed in digital, online worlds.
Children aged 8 to 9, for example, spend an average of two hours
per day online, rising to 4 hours for 13 to 14-year-olds and this
does not include time spent gaming (Ofcom, 2025b).
We've heard from children themselves that they do not experience
a divide between their online and offline lives. Having access to
phones helps them build and maintain friendships. Furthermore,
we've heard time and again of children using social media to
connect with communities who provide support that otherwise would
not be there. More recently, some report using AI companions,
which can support wellbeing and emotional regulation (Ho et al,
2025; Guingrich and Graziano, 2025).
However, this ability to connect comes hand in hand with risks:
from harmful content to cyberbullying, to privacy breaches and
exposure to false and misleading information. Meanwhile, children
are confronting features such as unlimited scrolling,
personalised algorithms and other features designed to be
addictive at an age when they are still learning how to
self-regulate.
Understanding the balance between benefits and harms is a
priority if we are to provide a safe digital world that works for
children, and the evidence base needs to go further in
understanding how children's online experiences vary in relation
to individual circumstance, content and use. Indeed, there is not
enough research into either positive aspects of online lives nor
the harms. More broadly, we do not have robust, long-term data to
determine with confidence how digital technologies are affecting
children. Even though evidence on the impacts of screen time in
children is limited, healthy development requires that screen use
does not come at the expense of sleep, physical activity or
real-world interactions with friends and family (Early Years
Screen Time Advisory Group, 2026).
With rapid advances in AI, we also need to gather stronger
evidence on how children are using it and what impacts it is
having on their learning and their relationships. AI has
potential as a tool for social or educational support, with half
of children reporting using it and in increasing amounts for
learning and schoolwork. 1 It must not prevent them, though, from
developing vital skills, such as written expression and critical
thinking.
Overall, there are significant evidence gaps regarding children's
online lives, but this does not mean government should not act.
Actual harms, as well as risk of harms, exist and cannot be
ignored. That's why the Department for Science, Innovation and
Technology launched its consultation back in March 2026 on the
impacts of growing up online, covering social media use and other
online services, like AI chatbots and gaming sites.
This consultation was one step in improving our understanding,
and will inform government thinking about how to safeguard
children and young people today and into the future. It should
not be the end of the conversation though. As further
technologies emerge and digital lives evolve, we should be
continuing these discussions to ensure children's wellbeing is at
the heart of decision making. This should not only be a
discussion had in government, but a wider conversation for
everyone.
There are no straightforward decisions here: we need to consider
both what happens if we limit children's online access, for
example, as well as how to encourage healthy relationships and
physical activity. And we have to evaluate the impact of any
changes to policies.
The Government Office for Science, meanwhile, is examining the
future of childhood and adolescence more broadly. Alongside
online harms, we are exploring how trends in health, education,
inequality, family lives and more, will shape childhood for years
to come. Drawing on insights directly from children, this
foresight project will help government to design better policies.
Of course, the pace and interactions of technological and
societal changes mean that this is an evolving challenge for
government, for parents and for children. Decisions made today
will certainly shape the experiences of those growing up in this
digital world. Robust evidence and continued evaluation are
essential to inform how we protect children from harms while
allowing them to enjoy their hybrid online and offline lives.
1. Ofcom (2025a) Children
and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report
2. Ofcom (2025b) Online
Nation report 2025
3. Ho et al. (2025), Potential and pitfalls of
romantic Artificial Intelligence (AI) companions: A systematic
review.
4. Guingrich & Graziano (2025), Chatbots as social
companions: How people perceive consciousness, human likeness,
and social health benefits in machines.
5. Early Years Screen Time Advisory Group (2026). Screen use
by children aged under five: independent report.
