Children Report More Online Activity, and More AI Use, Than Parents Realise

The Family Online Safety Institute has published Beyond Borders, the fourth wave of its bi-annual Online Safety Survey, drawing on responses from more than 4,000 parents and children aged 10-17 across the United States and Australia. The research, fielded by Ipsos in spring 2026, records a consistent and significant gap between what children say they do online and what their parents believe.

The divide is widest around generative AI. When asked whether their child had used generative AI in the past week, 27 percent of parents said yes, while 38 percent of children said yes of themselves, a gap of 11 points. The same pattern appeared across nearly every activity measured, including scrolling and posting on social media, and even schoolwork.

The survey also found that generative AI use among children in the United States has plateaued, sitting at 72 percent in the most recent wave after earlier increases. Over the same period, parents' optimism about AI's role in online safety fell 10 points, from 52 percent to 42 percent. Only 27 percent of parents believe technology companies are effective at protecting their children from harmful content.

• Nine in ten children say they can talk to their parents if something online makes them feel unsafe.
• 92 percent of children and 91 percent of parents say parents are responsible for children's online safety education.
• Families are more likely to rely on household rules than on technical parental controls.

For families, the report underscores a plain concern: much of what children encounter online, including their engagement with AI, remains outside the view of the adults responsible for them. The Foundation notes that conversation within the household is described as the strongest available safeguard.

The original reporting was published by Mirage News, aggregating FOSI, and is available here.