Competition, launched by Vodafone and First News, comes off the back of data showing that while 95% of children feel confident with digital safety knowledge, nearly half (48%) have followers on social media who they don’t know.
- Less than a quarter (21%) think keeping their online profiles private is a priority, and only 16% think it’s important not to accept follow requests from people they don’t know.
- Online safety conversations begin at around 7-8 years old, but new research from Vodafone shows scope to make advice more memorable.
- In response, Vodafone has partnered with First News, the leading newspaper for young people, to launch a national creative writing competition, inviting children aged 7-15 to create new memorable fables for the digital age.
According to new research from Vodafone, 95% of kids aged 7-14 feel confident they know how to stay safe online – yet the data shows a gap between understanding and action.
Nearly half of the children surveyed (48%) admitted they have followers on social media that they aren’t friends with offline. Only 21% consider keeping their social media accounts private to be a priority. And just 16% believe that rejecting a follow request from someone they don’t know is an important rule to follow.
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Vodafone’s study, which polled 1,000 children and 1,000 parents, found that families are having important conversations about online safety. In fact, on average, nearly half (49%) of the rules that parents have taught their children relate to staying safe online.
These conversations start at home when children are 7 or 8 years old, with two-thirds of children (66%) believing online safety rules are some of the most important ones they follow. However, despite both parents and kids prioritising online safety guidance, the research shows there is still scope to make online safety advice more memorable and help children put these important rules into practice.
The data went on to reveal that just 19% of kids surveyed said they thought it was important to stop and think before posting anything on social media, while less than half (37%) felt not sharing their password was crucial.
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In response to these findings, and to help support kids with remembering key online safety advice, Vodafone has partnered with children’s newspaper First News to launch a creative writing competition. With some of the oldest and most memorable words of wisdom coming from fables, the competition invites children aged 7-15 to create new fables for the digital age, showcasing their healthy digital habits and how they can stay safe online.
Dr. Elly Hanson, Clinical Psychologist, said: “The research suggests that, while many parents and children are having the right conversations and agree that online safety is important, putting this advice into action can be less straightforward. By reading or listening to a story, children and young people can mentally step into the shoes of other characters, helping them to work through a situation as if they were experiencing it themselves. And, in turn, this can make it easier for them to put these learnings into practice in the real world.
“Fables and stories have been passed down through generations, for thousands of years – and for good reason. They work well for children because they communicate knowledge and wisdom in a way that is both engaging and relatable. Giving children the chance to share their thoughts about online safety in this creative way will not only help the adults in their life understand the realities they face today, but will also help ensure that key safety messages truly take root.”
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Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer, Vodafone UK, said: “With today’s kids being the most tech-savvy generation yet, they are very aware of the need to stay safe online. But, as our data shows, applying this knowledge to their everyday lives can be difficult.
“At Vodafone, we’ve been working in the online safety space for more than 14 years, and we know that hearing kids’ views on the subject is crucial to creating truly valuable resources that work for them. I’m really proud to be launching this competition in partnership with First News – these fables offer a real opportunity to help parents, carers and children create guidance that sticks.”
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Six winning fables, across three age categories (7-9, 10-11 and 12-15), will be packaged into a book and published by Andersen Press. Each story will then be brought to life by renowned children’s illustrators, Sue Cheung, Fiona Lumbers and Paddy Donnelly. The book will be available online, acting as a free resource that families and schools can use to help facilitate online safety conversations.
To make it even easier for children and schools to get involved, Vodafone and First News have created a suite of KS2 and KS3 teaching resources, including model texts, teacher notes with curriculum links, grammar topics that can be taught alongside, worksheets, margin planners and display materials.
To find out more about the children’s online safety competition, or to access the teaching resources, visit the First News website.
Parents can also access a wealth of guidance and resources on Vodafone’s Digital Parenting Hub, which aims to help families build healthy digital habits. The Hub hosts a toolkit, created in partnership with NSPCC, that has been designed to provide parents with practical advice regarding online safety, as well as Vodafone’s Digital Parenting Pro – one of the UK’s largest directories of parental controls and safety settings.
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Notes to Editor
The survey of 1000 UK adults and 1000 UK children (7-14 years) was commissioned by Vodafone and carried out by OnePoll between 11th and 18th September 2024.
About First News
First News has provided children with access to trusted news for over 18 years, empowering them to make a positive impact on the world. Since launching in 2006, it has become the leading, independent news source tailored specifically for children.
The award-winning team of journalists deliver comprehensive, age-appropriate, and impartial coverage of both local and global issues to a readership of over 2.5 million each week.
First News offers children a gateway to factual, impartial news and entertainment. The weekly engaging content equips children with the knowledge to learn, debate, and think critically about the world around them, as well as fostering a love for reading.
Visit www.firstnews.co.uk to learn more.
