BBC Teach has brought together more than 100 resources covering every aspect of online safety. Together with a Live Lesson, they provide teachers and children with the tools that they need to be good online citizens.
Ahead of Safer Internet Day 2025 on 11 February, a Censuswide survey commissioned by BBC Teach suggests that online safety, often considered an issue for teenagers, is a growing problem amongst younger children.
The survey indicates that more than three-quarters (80%) of primary school teachers are aware of at least one safeguarding incident linked to online safety in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, a third (36%) of teachers reported that safeguarding incidents, linked to online safety, had increased at their primary school.
Teaching online safety, often referred to as ‘safe use of technology’ in curriculum documents, is a requirement for schools across the UK. Yet the survey suggests effectively all primary teachers (98%) find it a challenge to teach.
The theme for Safer Internet Day 2025 is ‘Too good to be true’ encouraging young people to protect themselves from scams online. The survey covered this topic and indicates that a third (33%) of primary teachers said at least one child in their class had reported being a victim of an online scam. A third (35%) felt that the number of children being scammed each year was increasing, and the same number thought that artificial intelligence (AI) could contribute to making children more vulnerable to scams.
The survey also indicates that almost half (47%) of primary teachers want better teaching resources for online scams. To support teachers, BBC Teach is broadcasting a Live Lesson at 11am on Safer Internet Day (11 February). Inviting children from across the UK to participate in a fictional game, Scam Smashers, it will encourage them to use their detective skills to spot scams and solve online safety problems. The curriculum-linked lesson for 7 to 11 year olds is created in partnership with Childnet.
- Watch the BBC Teach Live Lesson from 11am on Tuesday 11 February. The Live Lesson will be available to watch on BBC Teach and CBBC at 11am and on-demand on BBC Teach and BBC iPlayer once the broadcast ends.
The survey asked primary teachers about the challenges children faced in talking about negative experiences online. Almost every respondent (99.8%) indicated that they felt children faced challenges and, selecting from a list of options, were most likely to say that they felt children were afraid of their friends finding out; unclear as to who they should speak to; and feel there is no point in reporting an incident as nothing will change.
Helen Foulkes, Head of BBC Education, said: “The survey indicates that teachers believe primary aged children are facing increasing challenges as they navigate their world online, and are often staying silent when encountering a negative experience. Teachers play a key role in keeping children safe online. But the pace of change, for instance with scams, means it’s incredibly hard to stay up to date. BBC Teach has brought together more than 100 resources covering every aspect of online safety. Together with a Live Lesson, they provide teachers and children with the tools that they need to be good online citizens.”
Survey indicates primary teachers want social media minimum ages raised
Social media use by primary aged children is a concern for primary teachers, the survey results suggest. Almost every respondent (99.5%) reported that at least one child in their class used social media*****.
Around half of teachers feel the minimum age requirements should be higher* for social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat (51%), for video platforms such as YouTube or Twitch (50%), and for communication apps such as WhatsApp (51%).
Apps such as WhatsApp used to have a minimum age requirement of 16. In 2024, it was reduced to 13. The survey suggests that just under a quarter (22%) of primary school teachers feel the minimum age requirement should be put back up to 16 years or older**. And a quarter (24%) feel the same for both social media and video platforms.
The survey indicates that primary school teachers feel social media platforms need to do more to protect children. They feel social media platforms should change how they use algorithms to display particular content and they want safety controls to not only be more accessible, but also easy to use. Furthermore, teachers want social media platforms to enable children’s accounts to be linked to their parent or carer’s accounts.
The survey suggests there was general confusion amongst primary teachers about the minimum age requirements for children to set up social media accounts. Only around 1 in 10 respondents answered correctly when asked about a range of platforms including TikTok (13%), Instagram (13%), and YouTube (11%). Around half thought the minimum age was 14 years or higher *** (51%, 52%, and 52% respectively). And around a third thought it was 12 years or younger**** (33%, 32%, and 33%).
Will Gardner, CEO of Childnet, said: “We are working closely with the BBC as we approach Safer Internet Day, the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety. The survey offers a valuable opportunity to hear from primary school teachers about their experiences and concerns in relation to online safety, as well as the support they require. We can all agree on the ever-increasing need to support young children in their lives online and the vital part schools and teachers play. The BBC and Safer Internet Day are working together to support teachers in fulfilling this role through the provision of practical, engaging, easy-to-use and up-to-date resources.”
* Responses ranging from 14 years to 18+ years combined
** Responses ranging from 16 years to 18+ years combined
*** Responses ranging from 14years to 18+ years combined
**** Responses ranging from 12 years to less than 7 years combined
***** Responses ranging from ‘1-10%’ to ‘100%’ combined
Additional information from the survey suggests:
● Almost two-fifths (38%) of primary teachers feel it is hard to keep pace with the online scams faced by children.
● Respondents’ top three issues that make teaching online safety hard are: staying up to date, trying to fit online safety lessons into the school timetable, and not feeling confident to talk about the topic.
● Respondents found it hardest to find teaching resources about online safety and AI.
● All respondents reported that they cover online safety with their pupils.
● Of the 80% of primary teachers that were aware of at least one safeguarding incident linked to online safety, 47% said they were aware of more than one incident in the past 12 months.
The survey was undertaken 3 to 11 Dec 2024 by Censuswide of 1,001 primary school teachers across the UK. This represents 0.3% of the total primary teacher population (290,954). Find the full dataset here.
Anna Pedroza: anna@pedrozacommunications.co.uk
Olga Hadjilambri: olga@pedrozacommunications.co.uk
