PRESS RELEASE: 4 in 5 parents concerned about their child being groomed online

London, 18 March 2026: A new survey has revealed that four in five parents surveyed in the UK are concerned about their child being groomed online.

The survey of 1,000 parents, commissioned by the leading charity Breck Foundation, also found just a third (33%) of parents believe the government is doing enough to protect children from online grooming.

Nearly one in five parents (19%) say they would not be confident recognising the signs of online grooming, and over 1 in 6 parents (18%)³ are unsure what to do if they suspected their child was at risk. Over 80% of parents now support schools providing education to help safeguard children against online grooming.

The findings come as the latest police figures show online grooming offences have reached record levels across the UK, with Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Facebook among the platforms most commonly used. In the past year, 7,263 offences of Sexual Communication with a Child were recorded, nearly double the number reported when the law was introduced in 2017/18. Where gender was known, 80% of victims were girls, and the youngest recorded victim was just four years old.

Erica Thornton, Chief Executive of Breck Foundation, said: “Children are growing up online, yet predators operate in these same spaces, using increasingly sophisticated tactics and tools such as AI to groom and exploit. Gaming and social media platforms provide opportunities for young people to interact with people they may not know personally or have never met, which is why we encourage parents to make use of the parental controls available to help monitor who their child is speaking to online. But parents cannot be expected to face this alone—urgent action is needed through a combination of regulation, awareness, education, platform accountability, and effective law enforcement.”

Victoria Collins MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Science, Innovation & Technology), said: "These findings should be a wake-up call. Parents across the country are deeply worried about the risks their children face online, and rightly so. 

Parent's concerns are not unfounded - the online world remains a difficult place to navigate with new online harms constantly emerging. The fact that so many families fear their child could be groomed online highlights just how urgent it is that we strengthen protections, improve education for young people, and ensure parents have the tools and confidence to keep their children safe in the digital world.”

With so many young people spending time on social media platforms and in online gaming spaces, it is vital that tech companies also step up and play their part in creating safer online environments for children."

Sarah, a parent , said: “One of the biggest worries for me, as a parent, is the pace at which the online world is changing and how quickly our young people adapt to these changes, often leaving us behind! While we can limit screen time and police the apps that our children download we cannot be over their shoulders 24/7. I believe young people need to have some freedom to explore the online world and make their own choices as is appropriate for their age and level of maturity, and therefore want them to be as well informed as possible of risks and potential harms so they can make good decisions.”

Rachel, a parent, said: “In the world we live in now, online grooming is a big threat to every parent. These people know how to get inside a child's head and manipulate them, in ways we never could understand as a parent. We can control what are children log on to to a certain extent, like what games they are playing etc, but we can't sit with them the whole time they are on line.

The Online spaces that my son uses are a worry, because you can't control who uses them as well. I am quite lucky with my son because if someone sends him a friend request, or views his profile, he will ask me if I know them. He gets quite offended to be honest and will tell me so too. There's always that one chance though and that is a worry.”The new research has been published on National Child Exploitation Awareness Day, which encourages everyone to think, spot, and speak out against abuse, and to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children, as well as children exploiting or abusing their peers.

Methodology:

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,000 Parents in the UK with child(ren) under 18. The data was collected between 20.01.2026 - 22.01.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principlesmember of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles