Safer Internet Day is marked every year in the UK, and it’s all about staying safe online.
The day is themed around a different topic each year, and for 2025 the theme is Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online.
For Safer Internet Day 2025, new research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC), reveals that exposure to scams is a regular part of life online for young people, with 79% of 8 to 17-year-olds coming across scams online at least once a month, almost half (45%) at least once a week, and 20% seeing scams online every day.
The research found that almost half of 8 to 17-year-olds (46%) have been scammed online and 9%, including 8-year-olds, have lost money to an online scam before – highlighting the critical need for more support to tackle online crime and help young people stay safe online.
The UK Safer Internet Centre has lots of advice for children on Safer Internet Day in order to stay scam-safe in 2025. Make sure that you look out for signs that something can’t be trusted:
- If something sounds too good to be true (like an in-game trade or social media giveaway) then it might be.
- Don’t share personal information online and remember that not everyone can be trusted in games or online.
- Watch out for phishing and don’t click on a links from unexpected messages, even if it looks like someone you know or a company you’ve heard of.
Top Tips for parents/carers:
Practitioner Resources:
Check out the resources from the SSCP’s December Forum Week for information, advice and guidance on Being Online – What’s the Harm?, Tackling Cyber Bullying, Reducing Online Risks, Protecting Against Online Harm, and Resources to Keep Children Safe Online
Childnet – Childnet works directly with children and young people from the ages of 3-18, as well as parents, carers, teachers and professionals, finding out about their real experiences online and the positive things they are doing.
P-Pod podcast episodes:
