Children as young as 8 exposed to explicit content online

A survey found that one in four children had experienced negativity online.

A survey of more than 6,000 children by CyberSafeKids found that one in four had experienced something negative online.

One 11-year-old told researchers: "I have often seen nudity on Roblox, such as inappropriate avatars and moaning in games with voice chat."

Another child, aged 10, described being threatened with violence after blocking someone online.

"Someone called me a bad word and I blocked him, but my friend had him added and he said he would smash my face in a door and said he would break all of my fingers," they told researchers.

The research, carried out across 74 primary and secondary schools during the 2025-2026 academic year, found that exposure to sexual content among 12 to 15 year-olds has more than doubled over the past year.

The proportion reporting exposure jumped from 10% to 24%, while around a third of teenagers said they believed social media algorithms were pushing the content towards them.

Children reporting more harmful experiences online

CyberSafeKids said children are continuing to access platforms despite age restrictions, with around 70% of 8 to 12 year-olds having accounts on social media platforms rated 13 plus.

YouTube was the most popular platform, with 63% saying they use it, followed by WhatsApp (30%), Snapchat (21%) and TikTok (20%).

CyberSafeKids also highlighted concerns about children's experiences on Roblox, with 58% reporting something negative on the platform.

The findings come just over a year after Coimisiún na Meán began enforcing its Online Safety Code, which includes measures aimed at protecting children under 13 from harmful content online.

CEO of CyberSafeKids, Alex Cooney, said the findings showed that new legislation had not had the expected impact.

"After a raft of new legislation in Ireland and at EU level in 2025, we had real expectations of change, but this report shows those expectations haven't been met," he said.

He continued to state that the debate around banning under-16s from social media was "missing the point".

"We're arguing over whether to lock the door while the laws already meant to protect children inside go unenforced. We have to do better."

Children's increased use of AI

The research found that children are also increasingly turning to generative AI.

Some 55% of those aged 8 to 12 said they use AI, with that figure rising to 76% among 12 to 15 year-olds.

Homework and advice about family and social issues were among the reasons cited by the children for using AI.

Coimisiún na Meán said regulatory enforcement "takes time", pointing to investigations by the European Commission into platforms and children's access to social media.

The commission also preliminarily found Meta's Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act over their handling of risks associated with under-13s accessing the services.