Brits bamboozled over how to set up their kids’ tech presents this Christmas

• New research reveals almost half of parents don’t know how to add safety controls or tools to the tech they’re planning to gift this Christmas.
• Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters’ Find the Right Words campaign is helping parents and carers to learn how to add parental settings on smartphones, social media sites and streaming services.
• Adults can access a free guide to help keep their kids safe online over the festive season and beyond.

Despite eight in 10 parents (82%) being worried about their children having unrestricted access to the internet, almost half (44%) don’t understand how to add parental settings controls on new devices they’ve bought for their kids.

A new study from Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters has found one in 10 parents are planning to give their child a smartphone as a present this Christmas – including 64% to children below the age of 14*.

However, 4 in 10 parents are not confident implementing safety controls on tech such as smartphones, tablets and consoles, with 60% believing their kids know more about technology than they do.

And more than a third of parents (37%) believe their kids would be upset if they’d activated safety controls on their new device.

Perhaps that’s why 40% of parents would rather assemble flat pack furniture than set up safety controls on tech, and are more likely to set up bikes (78%), play kitchens (70%) and remote-controlled toys (63%) over a phone (60%) or tablet (35%).

Parents’ little helpers

To help parents and guardians get their kids’ tech devices set up for Christmas so they can get online safely, Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters are sharing the simple steps adults can take to implement parental settings across a range of tech.

The organisations’ Find the Right Words campaign has a free guide on the tools and controls available across smartphones, social media platforms, streaming services and more.

The Find the Right Words campaign launched earlier this year to help parents have more confident conversations with children and young people about staying safe online. It forms part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan, and the company’s aim to improve the digital skills of six million people by the end of 2025.

Nicola Green from Virgin Media O2, said:

“We know adding parental settings on new devices can feel daunting, especially if you’re not familiar with the tech. That’s why our Find the Right Words guide is packed with practical tips and advice to give parents and guardians the know-how they need to set up their kids’ new devices with confidence, so they can enjoy them and stay safe online at Christmas and beyond.”

Online safety advice

Ghislaine Bombusa is an online safety expert at Internet Matters, and has provided their top tips for parents and guardians for keeping kids safe online:

1. Broadband and mobile network settings

• Virgin Media and O2 both provide broadband and mobile controls to restrict inappropriate content.
• Virgin Media customers have access to Essential Security, which includes parental controls settings where people can block inappropriate sites. This can be enabled via the ‘My Virgin Media’ account. With Advanced Security, customers can also block specific content they don’t want a child to see, and can protect family time by setting screen time limits on kids’ devices.
• O2 customers can use Parental Controls to restrict children’s web access to suitable sites on mobile devices.

2. Operating system parental controls and screentime limits

• There are a range of parental controls that can be set up across a range of operating systems including iOS, Android and Windows 11 to set limits on how long children can be online, approve app downloads and restrict inappropriate sites.
• You can set daily screen time limits for overall device usage and specific apps, through Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link.

3. Social media and video streaming settings

• Social media platforms have privacy settings which can help parents to limit who can contact their children and view their content.
• ‘SafeSearch’ can filter out explicit content on popular search engines.
• YouTube also has a ‘Restricted Mode’ which can hide potentially mature videos.

4. Gaming and entertainment controls

• Use the built-in parental controls on gaming consoles to set playtime limits and restrict online interactions.
• Parental controls can also be added to streaming sites to restrict access to age-inappropriate content.

5. Content filtering and monitoring

• Age-appropriate filters can block content unsuitable for a child’s age on streaming services, app stores, and web browsers.
• You can also regularly review activity reports provided by tools like Google Family Link and Windows Family Safety to monitor your child’s online behaviour.

6. Reporting and support

• Ensure your child knows how to report inappropriate content or behaviour on various platforms, and other tools such as blocking, muting, and restricting. Many social media and gaming platforms have these tools built in.
• Familiarise yourself with resources like Childline and CEOP for additional support and guidance on dealing with serious online issues.

7. Regular review and update

• It’s important to review and update parental controls settings as your child grows and their online activities change.
• Keep up to date with the latest online trends and potential risks to ensure your protective measures remain effective.

Parents and guardians can also get support on how to talk to kids about internet safety here, and get more online safety advice here.

ENDS

Strand Partners’ specialist research team conducted an online survey of 1,020 people in the UK nationally representative by age, gender, and NUTS 1 region. This contained a sub-sample of 262 individuals who are parents of children aged 18 or under and say they celebrate Christmas. Fieldwork dates 28.11.2024 – 29.11.2024. Strand Partners is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

*This refers to a parents of children aged 18 or under who say they celebrate Christmas.

About Virgin Media O2

Virgin Media O2 launched on 1 June 2021, combining the UK’s largest and most reliable mobile network with a fully gigabit broadband network where customers benefit from average speeds 5x faster than the national average.

The company has more than 45 million UK connections across its award-winning broadband, mobile, TV and home phone services. Its fixed network covers more than half of the country (17.8m homes serviceable) alongside a mobile network that covers 99% of the nation’s population. The company is on track to bring 5G to all populated areas by end 2030 and already offers 5G connectivity to more than two-thirds of the UK population.

Virgin Media O2 is upgrading its fixed network to full fibre to the premises with completion in 2028. Its shareholders and investment firm InfraVia Capital Partners, through a joint venture called nexfibre, are investing approximately £4.5bn to build fibre to 5 million homes and businesses not currently served by Virgin Media O2’s network by 2026, with the opportunity to expand to an additional 2 million homes. As a wholesale customer of this network, Virgin Media O2’s total footprint will reach around 80% of the UK once build and upgrade work is completed.

Through Virgin Media O2 Business, the company plays a leading role supporting entrepreneurs, businesses, enterprises and the public sector with their digital transformation through a range of connectivity, security, cloud and tailor-made services. It is also the network of choice for mobile virtual network operators giffgaff and Sky Mobile, as well as managing a 50:50 joint venture with Tesco for Tesco Mobile.

The company is committed to using the power of connectivity to make its better for people and the planet, taking action to close the digital divide and building an inclusive, resilient, and low carbon economy. The business has set an ambitious commitment to achieve net zero carbon across its operations, products and supply chain by the end of 2040.

Virgin Media O2 is a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica SA, and one of the UK’s largest businesses. Virgin Media O2 is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 12580944.  Griffin House, 161 Hammersmith Road, London, United Kingdom, W6 8BS.