80% Of Parents Say Children Less Safe, Survey

A survey from the charity Barnardos shows that almost 80% of parents interviewed feel children are less safe today than they were during their own childhood.

It also found that six out of ten parents think their children have more freedom than they had growing up.

The survey was conducted on 400 parents and 200 children, aged between 12 and 17.

AdvertisementIt shows that the issue of bullying is parents’ main concern when it comes to their children.

Just over one-third (34%) of parents said that were aware of their children drinking alcohol, 18% said they knew their son or daughter smoked cigarettes, and 7% knew their children were sexually active.

But more than half of those interviewed (56%) say they are not aware of their children being involved in any of these activities.

The survey also found that parents are more likely to talk to their daughters about sex and relationships than their sons and half of all parents had not had a conversation about sex by the time their children were aged 15.

One in three parents said they monitored their children’s mobile messages, with mothers doing it more often than fathers.