Children's online safety could provide £3 billion to UK businesses

Child Safety Online: Good for business opportunity

The report found that companies failing to prioritise children's safety online risk not only regulatory enforcement, but also losing out on valuable business.

Consumer insight has been paired with industry case studies from across the UK, Europe and US to show how placing child safety at the heart of online strategies has real money-making potential.

The £3 billion projection is based on UK household spending estimates of the TV, video, computer games, connectivity, health and beauty, and youth clothing and accessories sectors. It’s then been applied to survey data for consumers’ willingness to pay more and redirect spending to businesses who prioritise children's online safety.

For example, if a computer game company, or other company selling disproportionately to parents, were to be seen to invest in technologies that protect young people, they could expect to see a large revenue increase as concerned parents increasingly buy from them.

As part of the research, we set out with Baringa how companies across the globe – like VodafoneThree, Dentsu, KPN and SuperAwesome – are seeing singificant commercial benefits from prioritising children's safety online.

The report also identifies 11 value levers based around profits, people and culture, trust, and avoiding traps. Any organisation can use these to understand their commercial value potential, then take steps to fulfil this.

The research also shows that 71% of adults think companies that prioritise children’s online safety are more trustworthy, and 35% of those surveyed said they’d boycotted a company over safety or privacy concerns.

Six out of ten adult respondents (63%) said they’d be willing to pay more for products and services with a strong commitment to children’s safety in the online world.

Meanwhile, half the parents surveyed with children under 12 would switch brands if they felt they delivered better online safety for children.

The report identifies child safety online as as a relatively unexplored trend full of potential, with new regulation and increasing public concern shaping buyer behaviour.

Our recommendations for UK businesses

It lays out a number of recommendations for companies, urging leaders to adopt and implement strategies that prioritise the wellbeing of children in digital spaces. This includes:

• Set clear policies and direction – and go beyond pure compliance.
• Invest in technologies and tools – to protect young people and your brand.
• Involve the right voices – including child safety experts and young people themselves.
• Embed child safety upstream – design it into your business and product processes.

The report calls on a perspective change among business leaders to embrace child safety online as a source of value rather than an economic burden, as well as highlighting how it will inspire staff and improve workplace culture.

The survey also polled parents with children aged 12-17, with most saying child safety measures were important in digital products for children.

The findings revealed 91% of 11-year-olds have a mobile phone, with 67% of parents saying they’d prefer this first device to be basic.