Parents should teach children online privacy as an essential life skill in the same way as stranger danger or road safety, the United Kingdom’s data watchdog has said. The call to action follows a comprehensive research project undertaken by the Information Commissioner's Office, which found that three in four parents are concerned that their child cannot make safe decisions when handling personal data on the internet.

The Information Commissioner's Office has launched a national campaign urging families to hold straightforward, age‑appropriate conversations about protecting personal information. The campaign emphasises that privacy is one of the least discussed topics in the broader online‑safety conversation, despite its central importance to a child’s digital wellbeing.

Why Online Privacy Needs the Same Urgency as Road Safety

Across the United Kingdom, concerns about the impact of social media, gaming platforms, and emerging digital technologies on children’s wellbeing, safety, and development are growing. The Information Commissioner's Office frames online privacy as an essential life skill, describing it as “as natural as teaching a child to cross the road.” This comparison is intended to underline the notion that, just as children are taught to watch both sides before stepping onto a pavement, they should be equally prepared to guard their personal data when navigating the digital world.

The campaign’s messaging builds on the premise that many families have never received clear guidance on how to discuss privacy with their children. By positioning privacy education alongside road‑safety training, the Information Commissioner's Office hopes to normalise the practice and embed it into everyday parental guidance.

Key Findings from the Information Commissioner's Office Survey

In a survey of 1,000 United Kingdom parents who have children between the ages of four and eleven, a significant proportion expressed worries about their children’s ability to keep personal information safe online. Specifically, 35 percent of respondents said they believed their child would “share personal information in exchange for game tokens or rewards.” This statistic illustrates the persuasive power of digital incentives and the vulnerability of young users to such tactics.

Further data from the Information Commissioner's Office revealed that 22 percent of children have already shared sensitive details, such as health information, with artificial‑intelligence tools. In addition, 24 percent of children have disclosed their real name or address on an online platform. These findings point to a clear gap between parental expectations and children’s actual online behaviour.

The Information Commissioner's Office identified eight‑ and nine‑year‑old children as the groups most at risk. This age bracket coincides with the period when children move from passive content consumption to more interactive experiences, such as gaming, social networking, and the use of voice‑assistant technologies.

Voices from the Frontline: Experts and Advocates Speak Out

Emily Keaney, Information Commissioner's Office deputy commissioner, highlighted that many families have “never been shown how to talk to their children about online privacy.” Emily Keaney stressed that addressing this gap requires “a whole society approach,” suggesting that schools, community organisations, and technology providers must all play a part in reinforcing the message.

Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet, added that “many parents are already talking to their children about harmful content or screen time, but privacy often gets overlooked.” Justine Roberts argued that as concerns about how children’s data are harvested and used online intensify, families are seeking clear, practical guidance so they can begin these conversations with confidence.

Dame Rachel de Souza, children’s commissioner for England, warned that “too often we are playing catch up.” Dame Rachel de Souza emphasised the importance of empowering parents to feel confident about having early, everyday conversations with children about the risks of being online and about how to respond if something makes them uncomfortable.

Current Parenting Practices Around Online Privacy

The Information Commissioner's Office survey conducted in February demonstrated that 21 percent of parents had never spoken to their children about online privacy. Moreover, 38 percent of respondents reported discussing privacy less than once a month. In contrast, 90 percent of parents said they had talked about screen‑time limits with their children in the past month, indicating that while the broader concept of digital wellbeing is on parents’ radars, privacy remains a peripheral concern.

Online privacy, as defined by the Information Commissioner's Office, encompasses a child’s name, age, and physical address, as well as photographs, browsing history, voice notes, and activity on social‑media and gaming platforms. By clarifying the scope of personal data that can be inadvertently exposed, the Information Commissioner's Office aims to equip parents with a concrete framework for their discussions.

Practical Steps for Parents

The campaign launched by the Information Commissioner's Office offers a series of actionable suggestions for families. These recommendations include:

• Starting the conversation early, using language that matches the child’s developmental stage.
• Explaining why sharing a real name, address, or health detail can be risky, and illustrating potential scenarios in a non‑alarming way.
• Setting clear rules about what types of information are acceptable to share online, and revisiting those rules regularly as the child matures.
• Modelling responsible behaviour by demonstrating how adults protect their own personal data.
• Encouraging children to ask questions whenever they encounter a request for personal information, and teaching them to pause before responding.

Each of these steps is designed to make privacy discussions feel routine rather than exceptional, mirroring how road‑safety lessons become second nature through repetition and practice.

Looking Ahead: Building a Culture of Digital Safety

By positioning online privacy education alongside established safety curricula such as road‑crossing lessons, the Information Commissioner's Office hopes to embed a culture of vigilance that will persist throughout a child’s life. The ultimate goal is to shift the perception of privacy from an abstract, technical concern to a tangible, everyday responsibility.

The involvement of key figures such as Emily Keaney, Justine Roberts, and Dame Rachel de Souza underscores the multi‑sectoral commitment required to achieve this shift. When parents, educators, policymakers, and technology designers collaborate, the collective effort can create a safer digital environment for children.

In summary, the data collected by the Information Commissioner's Office reveals a pressing need for parents to become more proactive about online privacy. By treating privacy education with the same seriousness as road safety, families can better equip children to navigate the digital world with confidence and resilience.