What is inappropriate content?

Guidance to adult content impacting kids

Find out about different types of inappropriate content your child might see across the platforms and apps they use.

Learn more about inappropriate content.

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as the internet holds a lot of content
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some of which is adult in nature it's
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possible that children may stumble
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across things that are not suitable for
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their age or stage of development stats
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show that 63% of teens believe that
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accessing inappropriate content online
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accidentally is an issue also what you
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think is inappropriate for your child
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may differ from a child's view and will
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depend on their age and maturity level
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in summary inappropriate content
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consists of information or images that
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upset your child material that's
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directed at adults inaccurate
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information or information that might
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lead your child into unlawful or
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dangerous behavior accessing
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inappropriate content is possible on any
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internet-enabled device your child may
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stumble upon unsuitable material on
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websites apps links sent by friends or
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while chatting to others online parental
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control tools can help protect your
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child from accessing inappropriate
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content but can't block everything
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in addition to controls having regular
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conversations about what they may see
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will help children build good coping
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strategies to deal with whatever the
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internet throws at them many sites have
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a minimum each London to 13 including
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YouTube and Facebook explain to your
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child that age limits are there to help
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protect them from seeing things they may
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not be ready for talk to other parents
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and your child's school to see what sort
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of rules they're following and what they
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would recommend find out the kind of
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things your child likes to do online and
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agree which websites and apps are best
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for them and set some rules talk about
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how they search the internet there are
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child-friendly search engines that are
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suitable for children let your child
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know that they can talk to you or a
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trusted adult if they come across
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anything that upsets them online by
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putting a few simple measures in place
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you can manage access to inappropriate
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content and help your child focus on
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experiencing the best of the Internet
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here are some things you can do your
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home broadband is the root of your
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child's internet access and you can
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access the parental controls to sect
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acceptable limits on the content your
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child can view if your home broadband is
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used by your family then you may want to
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set parental controls on just the search
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engines they use make use of the
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parental controls available on your
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child's device to manage wort and higher
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they share content online and interact
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with others activate the safety features
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offered by different sites social media
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sites like Facebook have privacy
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settings that will help prevent your
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child's seen unsuitable advertising by
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talking to your child about their
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interests you can help them find
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suitable sites and apps to use review
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these sites as they get order
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give your child the tools to know when
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and how to report any Content that may
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be upsetting on the platforms they use
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organizations like seal and IWF can help
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remove and deal with reports of sexual
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images of children online

4 things to know about inappropriate content

What it looks like

Inappropriate content includes information, images or material that’s directed at adults. This might also include inaccurate information or information that might lead or tempt your child into unlawful or dangerous behaviour.

It can take many shapes, and impacts on wellbeing depend on each child.

A child might send inappropriate content

Young people sometimes send inappropriate content to others. While it’s essential to agree an action plan for how your child should respond, we also have guides to support children affected by child-on-child abuse and what action parents should take.

Mum, Emma, shares an example where a child AirDropped violent content to her daughter’s phone. Read about her experience here.

Things that increase risk of exposure

There are a few things that could increase the chance of your child accessing inappropriate content. These might include:

Joining social networks before reaching the minimum age, which is normally 13 or older.
Unsupervised access to the internet in private rather than in common spaces at home.
Playing games and using apps which are not appropriate for their age or development.
Streaming content which might show inappropriate material or taking part in livestreams and unconsciously being exploited.
Limited parental controls to restrict access.

You can check if content is suitable

Pan European Game Information (PEGI) informs consumers in the UK and mainland Europe about video game ratings. You can use these to check whether games are suitable for your child.

Other media such as films, content on streaming services and social media platforms have their own systems of ratings as well.

However, the best thing you can do is review content your child wishes to access or set up parental controls to limit access to inappropriate content.

Are you concerned about online pornography?

Explore specific information within our advice hub.

VISIT ADVICE HUB

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What is inappropriate content?

Inappropriate content is can take many forms, from inaccurate information, to content that may lead your child to unlawful behaviour. Children with unsupervised access to the internet can stumble across this content or it could even be sent to them directly by another child or adult. The most common forms it could take are:

Pornographic material
Content containing profanity or vulgar language
Sites that encourage vandalism, crime, terrorism, racism, eating disorders or suicide
Pictures, videos or games which show images of violence or cruelty to other people or animals
Gambling sites
Unmoderated chat rooms – where there’s no one supervising the conversation and barring unsuitable comments.
Sexism or sites that misrepresent people of different genders
Content that promotes hate against protected characteristics

Some content may also exploit children for different purposes such as grooming or county lines.

Inappropriate content facts and statistics

The NSPCC found that 56 % of 11-16 year olds have seen explicit material online

According to Ofcom, one in ten children aged 8 -11 who go online say they have seen something nasty or worrying online

Our research shows that over 23% of children have been exposed to hate speech online. While only 9% of parents are aware of their child’s experience

Ofcom reports that one-third of British children 12-15 have encountered sexist, racist or discriminatory content

Where do children see adult content?

Our research tells us as children become more active online, it’s more likely that they’ll see something inappropriate. This could include content such as violent videos, adult jokes or suggestive imagery. They can come across this content on social media, in video games, through streamed media and more. Moreover, accessing platforms or content unsuitable for their age can leave them open to this content.

As such, it’s important for children to use platforms appropriate for their age as well as their maturity and development. Not every child aged 13+ is ready for social media, for instance.

In many cases, a child might not tell anyone about what they’ve seen. For example, 21% of children report seeing violent content online but only 14% of parents reported the same for their child.

Is the content my child sees appropriate for them?

While most films are clearly labelled, it’s often more tricky when it comes to the internet. Video games, such as Fortnite or Minecraft are subject to Pan European Game Information (PEGI ratings). These are used to advise the type of content a video game has and age groups they’re suitable for. You can learn more about video game ratings here.

However, it’s important to consider the individual child; content ratings are a guideline unless specified in a platform’s terms of use. Content appropriate for one 13-year-olds might not be appropriate for another 13-year-old. Some children will have different needs, maturity levels and critical thinking skills.

The best thing you can do is review the content they access to decide for yourself what is appropriate.

Learn about child-on-child abuse

Prevent access to inappropriate content

How to deal with inappropriate content

Get support with your child's safety

Receive personalised resources and advice for your family that keep you up-to-date as your children grow.

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