Parents Are Underestimating Their Kids' Digital Lives - Especially With AI: New Family Online Safety Institute Research

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 online than their parents know - and the widest divide is around generative AI.

Key Findings

The perception gap is widespread and persistent. Across nearly every online activity measured, children reported doing more than parents reported for their children including schoolwork, an activity parents tend to view as acceptable internet use.

Generative AI use by U.S. children has plateaued. After rising 13 points between Wave One (Fall 2024) and Wave Three (Fall 2025), AI use among U.S. children has flatlined between Wave Three and Wave Four at 74% and 72% respectively. U.S. parents' optimism about AI's role in online safety has also dropped 10 points over the same period, from 52% in Wave One to 42% in Wave Four.

Parents don't trust tech companies to keep their kids safe. Only 27% of parents believe tech companies are effective at protecting their children from harmful content. Children are more optimistic, but only modestly - 41% say tech companies are effective.

Family conversation remains the strongest online safety tool. Nine in 10 children say they feel they can talk to their parents if something online makes them feel unsafe. And 92% of children - along with 91% of parents - say parents are responsible for children's online safety education.

Household rules outpace parental controls. Across every device category, families are more likely to have household rules about device use than technical parental controls in place. Among families with smartphone access, 68% have at least one household rule, compared to 49% who have parental controls on the device. When parental controls are used on any device, between 81-86% of parents and children say they work, depending on the control.

The U.S. and Australia diverge on who is responsible for online safety education. While both countries agree overwhelmingly that parents have responsibility, Australian families are nearly three times as likely as U.S. families to say their government has an obligation to teach children about online safety (30% vs. 12%). Teacher responsibility also differs significantly: 64% of Australians say teachers play a role, compared to 42% of Americans.

"This research demonstrates areas of both agreement and division among parents and teens in the U.S. and Australia. At a time when young people's use of the internet is of great interest to policymakers worldwide, this report highlights how parents and children themselves are navigating online safety amidst this backdrop," said Alanna Powers-O'Brien, Research Specialist at FOSI and author of the white paper.

About the Research

Beyond Borders draws on data from Wave Four of FOSI's Online Safety Survey, fielded March 17 to April 6, 2026. Respondents included 1,000 U.S. children ages 10-17, 1,000 U.S. parents, 1,003 Australian children ages 10-17, and 1,003 Australian parents. Data collection was conducted by Ipsos. No post-hoc weights were applied to this study, and the findings reflect the opinion of survey respondents only.

The white paper also includes comparative trend data from Wave One (Fall 2024) through Wave Four, using U.S. data only. This research is supported by Disney's Digital Wellness Grant Program and TikTok.

The full white paper is available at fosi.org.

About the Family Online Safety Institute

The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to making the online world safer for kids and families. FOSI works with industry, government, and the nonprofit sector to develop best practices and policies that promote a safer internet, and to provide families with the practical resources they need to navigate digital life with confidence. FOSI's members include Apple, Google, TikTok, Roblox, Snap, Nintendo, and Amazon, among others.

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Media Contact
Amy Bartko
amy@fosi.org
480-201-6733

SOURCE: FOSI