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.