We have submitted our response to the government’s consultation on growing up in the online world, urging the government to put statistical literacy and robust evidence at the core of efforts to ensure that children’s experiences online are safe and enriching.
Helping children decode the data behind their feeds
We believe that understanding data, statistics and how algorithms work is now essential for young people navigating online environments shaped by social media and artificial intelligence. Our response highlights that these skills should be treated as a core part of media literacy, helping children critically assess the information they encounter online and reducing their vulnerability to misinformation.
With social media a primary news source for many young people, we argue that without the ability to question data quality, bias and presentation, children risk being misled by inaccurate or manipulated content. Stronger statistical and data literacy would enable young people to better understand how platforms curate content and why different users see different information.
We have long advocated for a strengthening of the statistics curriculum in schools, in addition to the embedding of statistics education across a wide range of subjects. By showing the relevance and importance of statistics and data to subjects such as geography, public health and politics, young people can be better supported to interpret information in real-world contexts.
Evidence and oversight is key to safer digital environments
Alongside education reforms, our response stresses that improving children’s online safety requires stronger evidence about how platforms and algorithmic systems actually operate. One-off checks are insufficient, as digital systems evolve constantly and users, particularly children, often behave in ways not anticipated by designers.
Instead, we have called for continuous, rigorous and transparent evaluation of online platforms, supported by statistical methods. Regulators must have access to complete, reproducible and independently verifiable evidence; we urge that bodies such as the Competition and Markets Authority be given enhanced powers to scrutinise algorithms and AI systems effectively.
Overall, we believe that protecting children online will depend not only on platform design and regulation, but also on equipping young people with the skills to navigate a complex digital environment. In the emergence of an AI-enabled world, statistical and data literacy is only becoming critical.
Read our full response here.