
Parents Are Underestimating Their Kids' Digital Lives - Especially With AI: New Family Online Safety Institute Research9.7.2026 16:00:00 CEST | Press release
Survey of 4,000+ U.S. and Australian families finds children report doing more online - from social media to generative AI - than their parents realize. WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / July 9, 2026 / The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) today released Beyond Borders: U.S. and Australian Families on Online Safety, Screen Use, and the Digital Lives of Kids, the fourth wave of its bi-annual Online Safety Survey. When asked whether their child had used generative AI in the past week, 27% of parents said yes. When children were asked the same question about themselves, 38% said yes, an 11-point gap. The pattern held across nearly every online activity measured, including scrolling social media (46% of parents vs. 54% of children) and posting on social media (30% vs. 38%). Fielded in spring 2026 by Ipsos with more than 4,000 parents and children ages 10-17 across the United States and Australia, the research reveals a consistent and significant gap: children report doing more onlin



















