More than a third of children found racist, homophobic, or sexist content upsetting or frightening, up from under a quarter last year.
One in three children said they are upset or scared by violent content compared to under one in five last year, according to survey of more than 1,000 children aged between nine and 16 and their parents.
Children are finding it “harder to harder to navigate and recover from the challenges of the digital world”, warns web industry-backed campaign Internet Matters, which has revealed the findings in its annual Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World report.
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Internet Matters said: "Experiences of harm remain stubbornly high, and children’s emotional resilience seems to be weakening.
"There has been a rise in children choosing to avoid certain platforms because of negative interactions (26% compared with 21% in 2023) and upsetting experiences.
"This suggests they may be feeling less resilient to the challenges of online spaces."
More than one in five children found contact with strangers online upsetting, an increase on last year’s proportion of one in six.
The proportion of young people being upset by content promoting unrealistic body standards has doubled, from just under one in ten last year to one in five in 2025.
Parents also believe online threats “are becoming more distressing for children” and are reporting a rise in incidents of online bullying, unwanted sexual attention and contact with extremist groups, according to the survey.
Internet Matters also found that parents are “becoming more confident and enforcing stricter boundaries”.
Two thirds say they know what their child posts on social media, compared to three in five last year. More are also putting in place clear rules around screen time and are turning off the wi-fi in their homes at certain times.
This increasingly negative impact on children is particularly prevalent among vulnerable children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
A quarter of vulnerable children say that upsetting online experiences have happened “quite a lot” in 2025, compared to one in ten last year.
Two thirds of children experience harm online which “remains in line with children’s experiences in previous years”, it also found.
Out today, our annual Digital Wellbeing Index shows no reduction in children’s experiences of harm online in the past year, with children finding life online more distressing. Read the report here:https://t.co/bahI0rRbc9#DigitalWellbeingReport pic.twitter.com/ztt5cniBRn
— Internet Matters (@IM_org) March 5, 2025
Children are also becoming more creative in using the internet to stay active and connect with friends online, finds the report.
Half of children say the internet and technology is important to find supportive communities online, compared to just over two in five last year. Those using the internet to meet friends and participate in events has also increased.
“This year’s survey shows that the negative sides of online life are on the rise – particularly for vulnerable children,” said Internet Matters co-chief executive Carolyn Bunting.
“It is encouraging that parents are taking action, however experiences of online harm remain stubbornly high.”
This year the Online Safety Act comes into effect and requires technology and social media firms to do more to protect children from illegal and harmful content.
Bunting said the Act is a “welcome and important step forward” and called on regulator Ofcom to act on the powers it is given in the legislation to “prioritise children’s safety so that they can capitalise on the benefits of being online without coming to harm”.
