- 75% of UK parents and guardians fear dangers AI-generated deepfake audio and video pose to their children online1.
- Yet less than half of people (42%) have spoken to their kids about online safety and just over a quarter (26%) are unconfident2 when it comes to their ability to protect their children from deepfakes.
- Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters launch new online safety campaign, Find the Right Words, to help parents talk to their kids about staying safe online with a powerful film highlighting that it’s never too early to talk about online safety.
- Campaign backed by leading charities Action for Children and Good Things Foundation, with brand new guides to help families have more confident conversations about using the internet safely, as well as Katie Piper OBE – mother of two, best-selling international author, inspirational speaker, TV presenter charity founder.
As millions of children begin their summer holidays and spend more time online, new research from Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters reveals parents and carers have significant concern about the threat AI poses to their children.
Three quarters (75%) of parents surveyed1 say they’re worried about the dangers of AI-generated deepfake audio and video, and more than a third (36%) consider them to be more of a threat than cyberbullying, hate speech and violent content.
Hidden Risks Research
Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters’ Hidden Risks research surveyed more than 4,000 UK parents and carers of children and found there’s a lack of understanding about how to protect their kids when using the internet.
More than a quarter (26%) of parents and guardians surveyed say they aren’t confident2 in protecting their children from deepfakes or other AI risks, with almost a fifth (19%) noting they ‘don’t know’ what deepfakes are, and 24% unsure of the potential threat deep fakes pose to their children. Almost half (45%) don’t know how to update privacy settings on social media4, and a further half (50%) are unable to change passwords to protect their children’s safety online5.
Of the threats posed by AI and deep fakes, 59% parents surveyed were worried that fake images or content would be used to bully their children, with 58% saying they’re concerned their children will be traumatised because of fake images of gore, violence, or sexual content.
Worryingly, less than half of parents surveyed (42%) speak to their children about how to stay safe online, with almost a third (29%) saying it’s because their kids know more about technology than they do. Almost half (48%) said they want more support to keep their kids safe online.
Find the Right Words Campaign
In response, Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters are launching the Find the Right Words campaign to help parents and guardians talk to their children about online safety. It aims to empower parents so they can navigate difficult conversations about online safety and educate themselves about threats.
At the heart of the campaign is a powerful film highlighting the difficulty parents face in explaining online risks to their children. The short-form film follows the lives of Anika, who appears to be 17-year-old and her mum, Shanti, who are impacted by online harms. The film’s message is that it’s never too early to talk to children about online safety.
Reaching parents and guardians across the UK
To help parents and carers of children and young people, Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters, in partnership with leading children’s charity, Action for Children, and digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, have created new, free guides to help families stay safe online.
The guides provide advice for adults on how to have conversations with children and young people about staying safe online, and information about online safety tools and controls. The resources are available via a dedicated internet safety page on the Virgin Media O2 website. Furthermore, Action for Children and Good Things Foundation will share the resources through their extensive UK-wide networks to reach parents and carers of children across the country.
The campaign is being extensively shared with millions of Virgin Media and O2 customers with the Find the Right Words film being broadcast on Virgin TV over the summer holidays, and via emails and social media.
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, Chief Communications & Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
“As we head into the summer holidays – a period when we know children and young people are more likely to be online – we want to support parents and carers to have conversations about online safety.
“We know they’re not only worried about online harms like deepfakes, cyberbullying or inappropriate images or videos, but also unsure how to talk to their kids about it.
“With Virgin Media O2’s Find the Right Words campaign, we’re providing parents and guardians with the guidance, resources and support they need to take positive actions, like having open discussions about online safety with their children, and how to implement online safety controls.
“We’re proudly partnering with online safety experts, Internet Matters, and leading charities, Action for Children, and Good Things Foundation, to create a campaign that resonates with and reaches parents and carers across the UK.”
Carolyn Bunting MBE, Co-CEO at Internet Matters said:
“As technology evolves, so do the challenges that parents face in keeping their children safe online. This research reveals there is a significant gap in knowledge and confidence among parents when it comes to protecting their children from such emerging online threats.
“We are proud to have collaborated on the ‘Find the Right Words’ campaign with Virgin Media O2. Equipping parents with the tools and resources they need to have meaningful conversations with their children about online safety has truly never been more important. It’s never too early to start these discussions, and together, we aim to help families navigate the digital world with greater confidence and security.”
The campaign is also being backed by TV presenter, author, charity founder, and mother of two, Katie Piper OBE.
Katie knows first-hand the importance of speaking to children about online safety after her daughter was contacted by a stranger while playing an online game. While Katie intervened and spoke to her child about the dangers of online interactions, she wants to help parents and guardians have the confidence to talk to their kids about staying safe when using the internet
Katie Piper said:
“I feel hugely passionate about the ‘Find the Right Words’ campaign. Equipping parents and guardians with the right knowledge and tools to talk to their children confidently about online safety has become essential. Having young children myself, and especially as we head into the summer holidays, I know only too well how important having these conversations are.
“It is never too early to start thinking and talking about the topic, to engage and to find the right words.”
Locks Farmer, Managing Director of Fundraising, Communication and Policy at Action for Children said:
“It’s not always easy to know what your child is seeing or doing online and parents who contact our Parent Talk service can get advice to help keep their child safe online.
“That’s why we are delighted to partner with Virgin Media O2 on this hugely important campaign to create free guides aimed at informing and empowering parents to have the right conversations with their children about online safety.”
Helen Milner OBE, Group CEO, Good Things Foundation, said:
“We’re delighted to support Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters’ Find the Right Words campaign, backed by Action for Children, and their new resources to help parents and guardians talk to their children about online safety. We need to make sure children and young people have the digital and critical thinking skills to keep themselves safe online – but supporting the adults who look after them is just as important.
“Those looking for more support about staying safe online can visit a Digital Inclusion Hub, part of the National Digital Inclusion Network, for free digital skills training.”
press enquiries
press enquiries