One in five Dutch kids feel unsafe online: UNICEF

One in five Dutch children aged 8 to 12, in groups five through eight of primary school, reported feeling unsafe online in the past month, according to UNICEF Netherlands.

Most incidents reported were relatively minor, such as being insulted during a video game. However, some cases were more serious, including a child who said they received “strange messages with blurred photos.”

The findings are based on responses from more than 218,000 students who participated in the national serious game competition, MediaMasters. In total, 290,000 students from 13,000 school classes took part. UNICEF said the data reveal a concerning trend: younger students feel less safe online than older students.

Among children in groups five and six, 23 percent reported experiencing unsafe online situations in recent months. That percentage drops to 17 percent for students in groups seven and eight.

UNICEF Netherlands’ director described the findings as a “wake-up call.” He said, “We do not leave children unprotected at a busy intersection. We cannot do that online either.”