Online safety now viewed as an essential life skill

Three in four parents of primary school age children say they view learning to use the internet safely as essential a life skill as learning how to swim.

Research commissioned by Fibrus, one of Northern Ireland’s fastest growing Full Fibre broadband providers, revealed learning how to use the internet safely has now overtaken riding a bike as an absolute necessity for primary aged children as they move into their teenage years.

Three-quarters of parents ranked internet safety on a par with swimming, ahead of cycling proficiency and handling money as the most fundamental of life skills, which have dropped to third and fourth place. Interestingly, despite the obvious digital offering, when it comes to telling the time, 85% of parents rank telling the time as the most essential life skill. 

For Gen X parents, those aged 46-61, using the internet safely and financial literacy are higher priorities than learning physical skills like swimming or riding a bike, with 84% and 79% of the votes respectively versus the national average of 75% for internet safety.

Following on from this year’s biggest social debate which saw 9 in 10 parents back the under-16 social media ban (gov.uk survey, June 2026), this latest research shows that only 13% of UK parents think the internet in general should be totally restricted. 

Parents favour education over bans as broadband becomes household priority

Instead, 86% favour a ‘teach, not ban’ approach to internet usage with a focus placed on knowing when to switch off. Nearly three-quarters (74%) believe the internet, and learning to use it safely from a young age, will open up more opportunities for their children than they had themselves, whilst just 1% think it will offer fewer.

Over two-thirds of parents surveyed agreed that a child’s broadband connection now impacts their future opportunities as much as the school they attend. This striking statistic proves high-speed internet access is no longer just a household convenience but a foundational pillar of academic and future professional success.  

For many parents, the internet is an educational lifeline, with 92% of parents admitting they rely on it to help their children with homework. Math and numeracy (53%) top the list of subjects requiring online support while 47% of parents value the internet as being an important part of the development of creative skills such as drawing, music and video editing (47%).

For 41% of families, streaming TV together is the thing they’d miss the most if the internet was turned off tomorrow. This challenges the common narrative that technology isolates us, offering a positive indication that the internet fosters togetherness despite the picture often painted that families are more disconnected than ever, and that we are in an isolation epidemic.

For 60% of all respondents, it’s no surprise that broadband now ranks second only to electricity as the most important household item, beating a car. Interestingly the data suggests that Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 – 1964 give broadband 100% of the vote – a signal that connectivity is critical infrastructure to an aging population. This demographic does not take digital connectivity for granted and instead they recognise its importance in supporting an ageing population’s healthcare, mobility and social connection. 

Colin Hutchinson, Managing Director of Fibrus, said: “In a year that has seen much debate around the use of the internet safely, there is no doubt that it requires continued effort from industry and users alike to discuss, understand and develop some guardrails around its usage.

“We were keen to examine how the internet could be a force for good in the lives of families, and in light of the under 16 social media ban conversation, understand the views of parents of primary school aged children for whom the next 10 years will be critical in shaping an understanding of how the internet can help the next generation.

“We absolutely agree that safe use of the internet is a necessary life skill and that’s why we’ve shaped a primary school targeted internet safety booklet and have been rolling out workshops across Northern Ireland and Cumbria. But we’re also heartened to see from the research just how much of a fundamental role the internet plays in the daily lives of people across the UK. We know how critical it is to foster connection, helping both young and old. We have seen firsthand how giving rural communities access to essential utilities-often taken for granted in cities-empowers people to thrive both personally and professionally.  

“The internet is not all bad and with the right measures in place, it can really enable people to learn, play, connect and create.”