Four teenagers sitting on a wall and looking at their phones.

Norton Insights Report 2026: Connected Kids

How online risks for children are changing in 2026

Parents are having “the talk.” AI just rewrote the script.

Families are talking, and parents are already stepping up — even as new concerns emerge around AI and children. Conversations that once centered on strangers and screen time are expanding to include AI-generated content, gaming communities, and critical thinking in a world where seeing is no longer believing. This edition of Norton’s Insights Report explores how online risks for kids are changing, with a particular focus on AI and kids’ online safety, and how parents are adapting.

A man with a laptop sitting on a couch and talking to his son about Cyber Safety.

To understand how children’s and parents' digital lives are changing, especially at the intersection of AI and kids’ safety, Norton commissioned a survey of 13,003 people between May and June 2026 across 12 countries.* Here's what we found.

Global key takeaways

81% of parents of children younger than 18 across all markets in our study feel comfortable talking to their kids about online risks.

75% of parents are concerned that AI could be used to create fake images or conversations involving their child, and 49% have already taken steps to reduce AI-related risks for their kids.

54% of parents whose kids play chat-enabled games say their child has chatted with a stranger; 29% say their child was encouraged to continue the conversation on another platform.

Digital risks facing kids: A global view

This study spans 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. See the world maps below for a country-by-country breakdown of key metrics. Find out where parents are least confident that their child can spot AI-generated content (Japan), and where they're most likely to say their child was cyberbullied (the U.S.).

One pattern travels well: parents generally feel comfortable talking to their children about AI, even in countries where concerns about the technology are highest. While attitudes vary by country, the overall challenge remains remarkably similar.

World map showing what percent of parents feel comfortable talking to their kids about online risks (among parents of children under 18): 89% in Brazil, 87% in Colombia, 86% in Mexico, 86% in the UK, 85% in the U.S., 84% in Chile, 84% in France, 83% in Australia, 77% in New Zealand, 70% in Germany, 64% in Czechia, and 53% in Japan.

World map showing what percent of parents are concerned that AI could be used to create fake images or conversations involving their child (among parents of children under 18): 85% in Brazil, 83% in Mexico, 82% in Colombia, 80% in Chile, 76% in Australia, 75% in New Zealand, 73% in France, 71% in the UK, 67% in Japan, 67% in the U.S., 61% in Germany, and 61% in Czechia.

World map showing what percent of parents have taken steps to reduce AI-related risks for their kids (among parents of children under 18): 59% in Brazil, 59% in Colombia, 58% in the U.S., 57% in Chile, 53% in Mexico, 51% in the UK, 42% in Australia, 42% in Czechia, 40% in Germany, 38% in France, 36% in New Zealand, and 23% in Japan.

World map showing what percent of children have chatted with a stranger via voice or text (among parents of children under 18 whose child plays chat-enabled online games): 64% in the U.S., 62% in Germany, 61% in Brazil, 59% in Japan, 53% in France, 52% in Chile, 52% in Czechia, 51% in Colombia, 51% in the UK, 50% in Mexico, 49% in Australia, and 49% in New Zealand.

World map showing what percent of parents learned about their child's cyberbullying because the child told them (among parents of children under 18 whose child experienced cyberbullying): 54% in the UK, 53% in Brazil, 53% in Czechia, 53% in Mexico, 46% in the U.S., 44% in France, 35% in Chile, 33% in Colombia, 28% in Germany, and 27% in Australia. Japan and New Zealand are excluded due to low sample size.

World map showing what percent of parents are not confident their child can tell the difference between real and AI-generated content (among parents of children under 18): 57% in Japan, 54% in France, 51% in Colombia, 51% in Germany, 49% in Brazil, 49% in Czechia, 44% in Mexico, 44% in New Zealand, 43% in Chile, 40% in the UK, 36% in Australia, and 32% in the U.S.

World map showing what percent of parents have noticed their child turning to AI-powered tools for companionship, conversation, advice, or emotional support (among parents of children under 18): 41% in the U.S., 39% in Brazil, 39% in Czechia, 39% in France, 38% in Chile, 38% in Colombia, 37% in Japan, 37% in Mexico, 30% in Germany, 30% in the UK, 28% in Australia, and 16% in New Zealand.

World map showing what percent of parents say their child has experienced cyberbullying (among parents of children under 18): 25% in the U.S., 19% in Mexico, 17% in Brazil, 14% in Chile, 13% in Colombia, 13% in France, 13% in Germany, 12% in Japan, 11% in Australia, 11% in the UK, 10% in Czechia, and 9% in New Zealand.

Parents are building safer online habits

Our findings indicate that parents are engaged. Across all markets, including the U.S., most report feeling comfortable discussing online risks with their children. Many parents have already taken concrete steps for the AI era, and children are turning to their parents first when they experience cyberbullying. These findings suggest many families already have the foundation needed to navigate what's next, even if the conversation isn’t over.

Parents are having “the talk”

81% of parents in all markets feel comfortable talking to their child about online risks like scams, strangers, and inappropriate content, compared to 85% in the U.S.

A graph with two bars showing how comfortable parents feel talking to their child about online risks: across all markets, 81% feel comfortable, 6% feel uncomfortable, and 13% feel neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. In the U.S., 85% feel comfortable, 4% feel uncomfortable, and 11% feel neither comfortable nor uncomfortable.

How parents first learned about cyberbullying _{Among parents whose child experienced it}	All markets	U.S.
My child told me	43%	46%
I discovered it myself	25%	23%
A friend of my child told me	8%	12%
A family member told me	8%	10%
A teacher or school administrator told me	8%	7%
Another child's parent or family member told me	6%	1%

Fostering open conversations about online safety can make it easier for children to speak up. Among parents whose child has experienced cyberbullying, 43% across all markets said they first learned about it from their own child — the most commonly reported source. That figure rises to 46% in the U.S.

And they’re adapting to the AI era

As AI becomes part of children’s everyday lives, many parents are already adjusting how they approach online safety. Nearly half (49%) of parents across all markets say they've taken steps to reduce risks related to AI tools or content, combining conversations with practical safeguards at home.

_GLOBAL

49% of parents in all markets have taken steps to reduce potential risks from AI tools or content.

_U.S.

58% of U.S. parents have taken steps to reduce potential risks from AI tools or content.

Steps parents have taken to reduce AI risks _{Among those who have taken AI-risk reduction measures}	All markets	U.S.
Talked to my child about AI risks	57%	53%
Limited my child’s screen time	54%	60%
Restricted access to certain apps or platforms	54%	64%
Monitored their online activity more closely	52%	58%
Blocked or filtered certain types of content	45%	54%
Delayed giving them access to devices or apps	32%	41%

Globally, the most common steps parents took were talking to their child about AI risks, limiting their child’s screen time, and restricting access to certain apps or platforms.

In the U.S., restricting access to apps and platforms was the most popular measure, followed by closer monitoring of online activity and blocking and filtering certain types of content.

Introducing The Bots & The Bees

AI is reshaping what children see, share, and experience online. Our Bots & The Bees series offers practical guidance to help families navigate these changes and protect kids’ digital lives.

Learn why sharenting is getting riskier, how to talk to kids about online strangers, how to teach children AI literacy, and how to navigate platform bans.

Three ways online risks for kids are changing

Many parents have built a strong foundation of trust and open communication. But the risks children face online are evolving rapidly. AI-generated content is making it harder to judge what is real, gaming chats can bring children into contact with strangers, and cyberbullying remains a threat. The findings below show where these newer risks are emerging, and why online safety conversations need to keep pace.

AI is changing how kids experience the internet

AI-generated accounts, fake content, and AI-enabled impersonation (aka deepfakes) now sit alongside cyberbullies and strangers as potential sources of online harm for kids. It's becoming harder for people of all ages — and children especially — to know what is real, who they're really chatting with, and whether information can be trusted.

Parents are starting to take notice of the sometimes-troubling relationship between AI and kids. Across all markets, 46% were not confident their child could tell the difference between AI-generated content and real content.

Artificial content also raises new concerns about the dangers of sharenting in the age of AI, as publicly available photos can be altered or repurposed by strangers in ways parents may not have anticipated when they first shared them.

Parents’ concerns about AI	All markets	U.S.
Not confident that their child can tell the difference between AI-generated content and real content.	46%	32%
Not confident that their child understands that AI tools can produce incorrect or misleading information.	34%	25%
Concerned that AI could be used to create fake images or conversations involving their child.	75%	67%
Noticed their child turning to AI-powered tools (like ChatGPT or other chatbots) for companionship, conversation, advice, or emotional support they might otherwise ask a person.	35%	41%

Parents do not need a technical background to help close these gaps. Experts on digital risks facing children recommend practicing one simple question together: “How do I know this is real?” Asking it when watching a video, reading a message, or viewing an image can help children build the habit of pausing before they trust or react. Our guide to building AI literacy with children offers more practical ways to start these conversations.

Gaming chat leaves children vulnerable

For many children, online games are places to socialize. But the chat layer on top of gaming can also expose them to strangers, inappropriate messages, and requests to continue conversations on unmoderated platforms. Some gaming platforms, like Roblox, have faced criticism for allegedly not doing enough to prevent potential predators from chatting with minors.

Across all markets, 57% of parents said their child plays online games with voice or text chat, rising to 64% in the U.S. across all markets and in the U.S., over half of children who played chat-enabled online games had chatted with strangers, and around a third had received inappropriate messages or been encouraged to take the chat off-platform.

This progression matters. As children move from playing games to chatting with strangers, and eventually to conversations outside the game environment, parents potentially lose visibility into who their kids are interacting with and where those conversations continue.

Apps such as Discord, WhatsApp, and Telegram can make exchanges more private and harder for parents to monitor.

Experts on digital risks facing children recommend asking kids what they think the person contacting them actually wants, rather than simply whether the person seems friendly. Helping kids consider someone’s intent can make manipulation easier to recognize, especially when moving a conversation off-platform is part of the strategy.

Our recommendations for updating the “don’t talk to strangers” conversation for the AI era offer more practical advice for families.

Chat risks in online games _{Among children who play chat-enabled online games}	All markets	U.S.
Have chatted with a stranger via voice or text	54%	64%
Have received inappropriate or offensive messages	29%	36%
Have been encouraged to leave the game to continue a conversation on another platform	29%	38%

Cyberbullying remains a problem

Across all markets, 14% of parents said their child had experienced cyberbullying. That figure rises to 25% in the U.S. Globally, the three platforms where it occurred most were Facebook (37%), TikTok (32%), and WhatsApp (30%). In the U.S. the top platforms for cyberbullying were Facebook (49%), TikTok (37%), and Instagram (34%). Separate intelligence by Threat Researchers at Norton suggests Facebook may be the riskiest social media platform for other online threats, too.

A teenage girl sitting on the floor, worried about cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is no longer limited to classmates or familiar faces. Parents reported strangers, fake profiles, gaming contacts, and even AI-generated accounts among the perpetrators, making it increasingly difficult to know who is really behind the abuse.

Reported perpetrators of cyberbullying _{Among parents whose child experienced it}	All markets	U.S.
Stranger online	34%	36%
Someone using a fake profile or impersonating another person	31%	29%
Classmate or peer	29%	44%
Someone they met through online gaming	25%	36%
Older teen or young adult	24%	23%
Former friend or ex-friend group	20%	31%
AI-generated account or bot	16%	16%
Sibling or family member	10%	7%

The consequences of cyberbullying can extend beyond harassment. In 2025 alone, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of financial sextortion targeting children and teens — averaging more than 100 a day. That same year, The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded 11,316 sextortion submissions involving people under 20 in its annual report, with reported adjusted losses of nearly $1.3 million.

Leyla Bilge
Global Head of Scam Research at Norton

“Parents have spent years teaching children how to recognize strangers online, but AI changes the nature of what ‘danger’ online looks like.

From the misuse and alteration of posted or shared photos to AI bots acting as cyberbullies or impersonating trusted sources, there are entirely new risks at play, and that means parents need to update how they talk about online safety.”

High confidence, real exposure

Even if parents feel comfortable talking about online safety, their children’s digital lives do not always unfold within the bounds of those conversations. As kids gain more independence online, they test limits, find workarounds, and make decisions without a parent present.

That gap becomes more important as children get their first personal smartphone, typically around the age of 12 globally and 13 in the U.S. (according to our survey findings). From staying online past bedtime to sharing personal details with strangers, the behaviors highlighted show how run-of-the-mill rule-breaking can overlap with more serious online risks.

Bar graph showing which online behaviors parents have observed their children doing: gone on their device past bedtime or a designated hour (35% in all markets vs. 40% in the U.S.); accessed a social media platform or website parents thought was blocked (20% in all markets vs. 22% in the U.S.); watched explicit content (14% in all markets vs. 23% in the U.S.); shared hared private information or personal details with a stranger (12% in all markets vs 20% in the U.S.); cyberbullied other children (6% in all markets vs. 12% in the U.S.).

In the age of AI, kids' online safety is an ongoing conversation

Parents are already talking to their children about online safety, but the risks they face are changing faster than any single conversation can cover. The strongest protection is not one perfect “talk,” but an ongoing habit of checking in, questioning what is real, and helping children recognize when online interactions don’t feel “right.”

As an added safeguard, Cyber Safety software for families can help parents set screen-time limits, supervise their children’s web and app use, and gain insights into their online behavior.

Methodology note

*This study was commissioned by Gen (the company behind Norton) and conducted online by Dynata across 12 markets: the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Japan, and Mexico from 22 May to 19 June 2026. 13,003 adults aged 18+ (around 1,000 respondents per market) were surveyed. The UK’s 2,001 respondents were weighted down so every market counts equally. Data is weighted by age, gender, and region to be nationally representative.

Within this report, mentions of parents refer to parents of children under 18 years of age, accounting for 39% of adults surveyed across all markets.

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How online risks for children are changing in 2026

Parents are having “the talk.” AI just rewrote the script.

Global key takeaways

Digital risks facing kids: A global view