At Blacknight, we’re passionate about making the internet a safer place for everyone, even kids. That’s why we were thrilled to have Niall Gaffney from CyberSafeKids giving us some insights on what they do and what it is all about, working hard to help children, parents, and teachers navigate the online world with confidence and safety.
We believe children deserve to thrive online
Do you believe that children deserve to thrive in spaces that keep them safe?
We do!
The internet exposes children to harmful content and dangerous people.
Why?
Because social media & gaming companies value profits over any child’s safety. For 10 years, CyberSafeKids and our community of supporters have worked to ensure that any child who uses the internet can enjoy a safe experience that is free from harm.
The inspiration behind CyberSafeKids
In 2015, Dr Cliona Curley, a cybercrime investigator and analyst, was visiting schools to talk with children about how to be safe and smart online. She saw first-hand the huge gap between what children were accessing and experiencing online, versus what their parents and teachers understood about their access and experiences.
This experience inspired Cliona to create CyberSafeKids, along with Dr Maggie Brennan, an applied psychologist, and Alex Cooney, an experienced programme manager from the not-for-profit sector. Cliona, Maggie, and Alex were also parents of small children and were concerned that, despite the many benefits of growing up in a digital world, it was also fraught with risk – and particularly for children.
Latest Findings
- Two-thirds of 8-12-year-olds have accounts on social media where the T&Cs require to be 13+, so clearly more and better age assurance is needed.
- Worryingly, a fifth of younger children and a quarter of teens have been upset or bothered by something they saw online in the past year – most often, content or a contact that is scary, horrifying or threatening.
- 47% of 8-12 year olds did not tell a parent when bothered by something online, rising to 73% for 12-15 year olds.
Insights and Trends
There has been a decrease in children under the age of 13 owning their own smartphone, and in the number who report having underage accounts on social media with an age rating of 13+. We’re putting these decreases down, at least in part, to the grassroots movements we’ve seen grow over the past year of parents and primary school communities focusing on delaying access to smartphones and to social media. This movement is clearly resonating with enough parents to shift the dial.
Our report reveals a significant increase in children engaging with AI chatbots, particularly as a way to access information. As children increasingly turn to AI for help with everything from homework to personal advice, it’s more important than ever to equip them with strong critical thinking skills and the ability to question what they’re being told—even when it comes from a seemingly authoritative chatbot.
Tools and use
We hope our report helps to shed light on the fact that the online world has not been created with the safety of children in mind, and that it continues to expose children to unacceptable levels of risk. We encourage parents, teachers, and communities to join our call for stronger legislation and enforcement that truly holds big tech companies accountable for the safety of everyone on their platforms, especially children.
In the meantime, to support parents and caregivers in ensuring your child’s experiences online are as positive as they can be, you can read our Digital Parenting Guide or join our Online Safety Lunchtime Chat Series.
Lunchtime Talks Series
These interactive sessions are relaxed and fully focused on supporting you, as parents, in guiding your child’s digital life. Each closed session provides a safe, open space where you can ask questions and share real challenges you may be facing around your child’s online safety. Led by experienced CyberSafeKids trainers, you’ll pick up practical tips and strategies, while also learning from the experiences of other parents — all to better equip you to guide your child(ren) in their digital lives.
The Online Safety Lunchtime Chat Series has been set-up to maximise the awareness of online safety advice for parents, guardians, and caregivers. The sessions are completely free thanks to our sponsors Blacknight Solutions and .ie, so there is no barrier to attending. We’ll be running 6 sessions throughout the 2025 – 2026 school year, 3 for parents of children aged 8 – 11, and 3 for parents of children aged 12 – 15, so there are multiple opportunities to attend if any one date doesn’t suit you. The sessions take place from 1pm – 1:45pm, so that people can attend during their lunch breaks.
“Talk with a trusted adult about your experiences online. This is particularly important if you have seen something or have been contacted by someone that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. And even if you haven’t been made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, talking with a trusted adult about your experiences can help you understand situations that may have been hurtful without you realising, like exposure to mis & disinformation.”
Future Goals
Over the next 3 years, we are really focusing our efforts on the areas that will create the greatest possible, positive impact in the lives of children across Ireland:
- Research: In order to provide solutions that create meaningful improvements in the lives of children, we must first understand the experiences of children online and where social media & gaming companies are failing to keep them safe.
- Advocacy: Leveraging the findings from our research, we will work with the government and other stakeholders to create real, systemic change for our children’s safety.
- We’re also hoping to work with more and more parents as the champions for positive change in their children’s lives.
Advice & Tips for Adults
Agree the rules – and model the behaviours – you want to see, for example:
- Agree when and where it’s appropriate to use screens (ideally, keep devices out of bedrooms, especially overnight!)
- Agree times when screens are and aren’t allowed in the home (meal times and bedtime may be a good start to the ‘not-allowed’ list!).
- Think about the quality of screen time, not just the quantity (minimise time spent doing passive, sedentary activities like scrolling or mindless gaming)
Talk about your experiences online – let your child know that they can come to you if they’re concerned about something that’s happened online.
Upcoming Events
Outside the Online Safety Lunchtime Chat Series, our next big event is CyberBreak. For CyberBreak, we ask people across Ireland to completely ditch their smart devices for 24 hours, from 5pm on Friday, 17th Oct, to 5pm on Saturday, 18th Oct, 2025.
CyberBreak is open to families, schools, and companies as a fun, interactive way for kids, parents, teachers, and adults to reflect on how much time they spend online and to promote a healthy online and offline balance. It’s also a good opportunity to just take a break from the online world and ‘disconnect to reconnect’! Over 52,000 people participated last year and we’re hoping to beat that this year. You can register to take part here