Safer Internet Day 2026: AI, Smart Choices and What Schools and Families Should Do Right Now

Safer Internet Day 2026 took place on 10 February 2026, with the theme: "Smart tech, safe choices — Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI."^[1] Coordinated by the UK Safer Internet Centre and celebrated in approximately 170 countries worldwide, the day marked a significant shift in focus for internet safety education — from the well-trodden risks of social media and stranger contact, to the fast-emerging and poorly understood world of artificial intelligence.

For schools and families, this shift matters. AI tools — chatbots, image generators, deepfake applications, AI tutors — are now embedded in children's daily lives. The safeguarding risks are real and evolving, and many parents and educators feel underprepared to discuss them.

What the Research Shows: Children, AI and Risk

Research by Nominet and Childnet, surveying 2,000 parents and 2,000 children aged 8–17, found significant gaps between how children use AI and how adults understand that use.^[2] Key findings include:

• The majority of young people aged 12–17 are using AI tools regularly — including AI chatbots, AI image generators, and AI-powered social media recommendation algorithms.
• Many children do not identify AI-generated content as "AI" — they encounter it without recognition in social feeds, video content and messaging apps.
• Parents significantly underestimate how frequently their children encounter AI — and feel underprepared to discuss its risks or benefits.
• The fastest-growing safeguarding risk area linked to AI tools is AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — a development formally identified as a national threat by the IWF and NCA in their 2025 assessments.^[3]

AI Risks in the Safeguarding Context

AI introduces several safeguarding risks that did not exist — or existed in much more limited form — five years ago:

What Schools Should Do: An Action Checklist

• Update your online safety policy to explicitly reference AI tools, AI-generated content, and deepfakes — your existing policy likely predates these risks.
• Deliver a whole-school assembly or form-time session on what AI is, how it can be misused, and what to do if a student encounters AI-generated harmful content.
• Train all staff on recognising AI-related safeguarding disclosures — students may not use the language "AI" when describing incidents.
• Update filtering and monitoring software to include known AI tool domains, where appropriate.
• Brief parents — most parents are significantly less informed about AI risks than their children are about AI tools. A brief parent newsletter or session can be highly effective.

What Parents Can Do Today

• Ask your child: "Have you used any AI tools — like ChatGPT, image generators or voice cloners?" Open the conversation without alarm.
• Check the apps on your child's device for AI tools — many are embedded in existing platforms (TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram) and not immediately obvious.
• Talk about what is real and what is generated — help your child develop the critical instinct to question online content.
• Report any AI-generated harmful images involving your child to the IWF at report.iwf.org.uk or CEOP at ceop.police.uk.