"Exploring the relationship between vulnerable children & online"

From - Internet Matters Team | January 14th, 2021 

As part of the Youthworks, over 6,500 UK children with some form of vulnerability shows the online world has become their lifeline – yet some are to up to seven times more likely to meet particular dangers over the internet than their non-vulnerable peers. This report is by Youthworks and Kingston University, in partnership with Internet Matters – calls for a number of urgent changes in the way vulnerable children receive support, including an approach that considers their offline vulnerability, and parents and professionals being encouraged to think differently about online safety advice for teens.

*From a sample of 14,449 11-17-year olds, of whom 6,500 self-identified as having one or more of five types of vulnerability.

We must protect the UK’s two million vulnerable children from online harm

We need to place a greater focus in how the UK supports vulnerable children, as a new study reveals some can be up to SEVEN TIMES more at risk in the digital world than those without vulnerabilities.

The Refuge and Risk report showed they face many and varied types of online risks. While their vulnerabilities make them more likely to experience risk than non-vulnerable teens, being without digital access can also be problematic. If they are harmed and become scared of going online, or have their device taken away, they lose opportunities to connect and develop socially, interacting with others without any label of vulnerability.

As a result, today we are calling for a new approach to support vulnerable young people so their online lives are fully considered in their education and care.

Facts and statistics

The study – part of an ongoing research programme– reveals that compared to teens without vulnerabilities, those with three or more vulnerabilities are:

 - Four times more likely to experience cyberaggression risks including cyberbullying or racist/homophobic comments and insults (40% vs 11%)

 - Three times more likely to be cyberscammed (14% vs 5%)

 - Nearly three times more likely to see harmful content such as pro-anorexia, self-harm or talk about suicide than their non-vulnerable peers. (40% vs 15%)

Young people with eating disorders are most at risk 

The report also found that those with eating disorders are most at risk, in a variety of ways, with almost a third (31%) having seen content about suicide ‘often’ in contrast to 4% of young people without vulnerabilities. Those with eating disorders were also most likely to say, ‘someone online tried to persuade me into sexual activity I did not want’ with 43% have ever experienced this, of whom 23% said it happened ‘often’, compared to 3% of their peers without vulnerabilities.

Link to full report