Together for a better internet
In this year’s impact report, we’ve captured the great work that we’ve carried out over the course of the year to further support a diverse range of families in helping their children benefit safely from the impact of connected technology.
You’ll find insights on how our collaboration with our partners and online safety experts has made a difference in children’s lives online and what we hope to accomplish in the coming year.
Carolyn Bunting MBE
Internet Matters CEO
T his impact report is being published at a time of great anticipation, with the Online Safety Bill on the cusp of passing into law and becoming the long-awaited Online Safety Act. Over five years in the making, this legislation will represent a step change in the UK’s tech landscape, making online platforms more responsible for the safety and wellbeing of their users – especially children. Greater regulation is important and necessary. We have already seen improvements to services following the introduction of the Children’s Code in September 2021, and we look forward to many more. Internet Matters stands ready to help companies fulfil their new responsibilities by providing expert advice and input.
But I am clear in my view that regulation is only part of the answer. There also needs to be a continued focus on educating and empowering children themselves, and the adults that support them. In an era of ChatGPT, deepfake technology and cryptocurrencies, media literacy can no longer be seen as a luxury. It provides skills and knowledge which are fundamental to children becoming happy, successful and responsible citizens of the future.
Parents must be at the heart of efforts to educate children in this space. When something goes wrong online, the overwhelming majority of children turn first to their parents. Amongst all the work Internet Matters has done to support parents over the past year, I am particularly proud of the research we have undertaken that demonstrates how engaged, confident and supportive parents are the most significant factor in keeping children safe, well and happy online. And with the support of our partners, we continue to campaign to raise awareness and provide families with the much-needed help and advice.
Schools also have an important role to play, with online safety forming part of the core curriculum. Online life crosses the boundary between school and home, meaning that collaboration between parents and teachers is key. Teachers play a particularly important role in supporting vulnerable children who may not have parents with the capabilities to provide support themselves. This is why Internet Matters continues to expand our offer to schools. It has been a pleasure to see Digital Matters, our platform for teachers of 9–11-year-olds, go from strength to strength.
I am proud of everything Internet Matters has done over the past year to equip parents and teachers with vital advice and support. But this work does not happen in a vacuum, and we cannot ignore the incredibly challenging context of the past year: a cost-of-living crisis putting so many families under incredible strain, along with continued funding constraints faced by schools. Furthermore, accountability for media literacy at the national level remains divided between several government departments and agencies. Internet Matters will continue to champion the voices and interests of families to all those who can make a difference to their online lives.
As the online safety regime begins to bed in, it is my hope that media literacy can now receive the time, attention and commitment it deserves. Internet Matters stands ready to support these efforts and do our bit to make the UK the safest – and most fulfilling – place in the world for children and families to be online.
April 2022 – March 2023
The challenge of helping children to remain happy and healthy online touches almost every family in the country, so expanding our reach to drive awareness is critical. Along with our partners we continue to collectively find innovative ways of reaching and engaging with parents.
Understanding the impact of Internet Matters is vitally important to ensure we continue to support the needs of parents and professionals. To do this, we work with an independent research agency who manage our Impact Assessment Programme.
Three times a year we talk to 2,000 parents of children aged 4-16 to ask them about what they think and feel about the resources available at internetmatters.org and what they do differently as a result.
of UK parents who visit our website go on to take positive action to keep their child safe online
of parents had a conversation with their child about online safety
of parents reviewed their child’s online safety settings
of parents feel better prepared to handle issues that may come up in the future
of parents would recommend Internet Matters as a trusted resource
of parents say they learned something new that will help them keep their child safe
As a result of this research, TikTok introduced new tools aimed at promoting positive digital habits – See more information here.
For most secondary school aged children, a mobile phone comes as standard, which means that schools are increasingly having to deal with issues caused by their pupils’ online activity. Many teachers feel ill-equipped to manage this successfully. With the support of TikTok, we conducted research with a range of teaching and senior leadership staff, and our subsequent report explores the help and support they feel they need.
No conversation about the future of technology is complete without mention of the metaverse. Yet the voices of parents and children have been missing from the debate. This report summarises current developments in the metaverse landscape, early evidence of the opportunities and risks posed to children and what families themselves think and feel about it.
This report provoked interesting discussion and debate across the sector and is shaping our activity with key partners going forward.
This year, with support from ESET, we launched Digital Matters – our online safety platform offering teachers of 9-11-year-olds free, ready-to-use lesson resources designed to help keep children safe online via interactive activities and dynamic storytelling. Utilising an art style that mirrors students’ popular interest in manga, the platform launched with four lessons which achieved the PSHE Association’s Quality Mark. These were under the subjects of Online Bullying, Privacy and Security, Managing Online Information and Online Relationships. Each lesson introduces pupils to the issues they might face and how to find support. Since the launch, three new lessons have been added with more on the way.
In response to research findings, together with TikTok, we created an interactive Playbook to help teachers gain a better understanding of the technology their students are using daily. From enhanced privacy and controls options to how the platform has implemented a ‘safety by design’ approach to better protect users under 16, the TikTok Playbook provides short form content that teachers can use to improve their own understanding and use with students and parents – all factors teachers told us were important attributes they’d like to see in a resource.
Together with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), we developed ‘Press Start for PlayStation Safety’ – an interactive quiz to help families learn how to have a safer gaming experience.
The new resource has been created for parents and children to complete together by asking a series of questions related to the safety and privacy features available on the PlayStation Network. It encourages families to work together to understand good gaming behaviours and the parental controls available on the console, helping to create a healthy, safe and joyful experience for children while using their games console.
With the support of our experts, in December 2022, we created an interactive guide to help parents tackle online scams. It featured advice on the most common online scams, what signs to look out for and what steps to take to prevent and deal with online scams.
We want to thank the members of our Expert Advisory Panel, whose continued contribution to our work has been invaluable. Their time and expertise allow the work of Internet Matters to be grounded in insight and be the best it can possibly be.
Alison Preston, Co-Director and Head of Research, Ofcom
Jess Asato, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Barnado’s
John Carr OBE, Secretary, UK’s Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety (CHIS)
Jonathan Baggaley, CEO, PSHE Association
Jessica Edwards, Senior Policy Advisor, Barnardo’s
Dr. Linda Papadopoulos, Psychologist and Internet Matters Ambassador
Martha Evans, Director, Anti-Bullying Alliance
Sam Marks, Manager CSA Education and Prevention, NCA-CEOP
Dr Simon P. Hammond, Lecturer in Education, University of East Anglia
Victoria Nash, Deputy Director, Associate Professor & Senior Policy Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute
Will Gardner OBE, CEO, Childnet International and Director at UKSIC
