Using digital technology and social media is now ubiquitous for most young people. Recent figures support this trend and suggest that 79 per cent of five to seven-year-olds and 94 per cent of eight to 11-year-olds are online (Ofcom, 2017).
Digital technology use offers many benefits for young people including providing social support, facilitating social connections, and enhancing educational attainment. Young people also regard digital technology as a facilitator and mechanism to maintain social networks. Despite these many benefits engaging with digital technology affords young people, using it is not without risk.
Cyber-bullying is frequently identified as one of the most common harms that young people experience when using social media and digital technology. Most social media platforms have restrictions in place which are older than the age of primary pupils. However, despite the age restrictions, 23 per cent of eight to 11-year-olds have a social media profile and 39 per cent have their own SmartPhone (Ofcom, 2017). Moreover, parents sometimes curate social media accounts for their children and two in five parents report that they would allow their child to access social media platforms before the required age (Ofcom, 2017).
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