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Any changes to government policy on online safety and digital literacy must include a focus on children in the early years, three leading early years professional bodies have warned ahead of the conclusion of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s review into media literacy.

Launched in March 2025, the inquiry aims to “identify and prioritise the key actions required to enhance media literacy skills across the population”, including children and young people. However, while the review notes that young children are increasingly present online, with a third of those aged five to seven accessing social media unsupervised, to date, the inquiry has included very little reference to the experiences of younger children.

This is despite the fact that in 2024, Ofcom estimated that almost one in five children aged three to five had their own mobile phone, while six in 10 had their own social media profiles and nearly half were using living streaming sites. Research has shown that the consumption of very short-form – and often low-quality – online content can have a detrimental impact on the development of young children, including disturbed behaviour as a result of unsupervised access to extreme content; social, emotional and physical development being disrupted, and missed development milestones.

Ahead of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s final inquiry report, leading early years membership organisations Early Years Alliance, Early Education and the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) are jointly calling for more to be done to ensure that that parents, early educators and other professionals (such as health visitors) are equipped with the tools to teach young children to protect themselves online. This includes a call for explicit reference to online safety and digital literacy in the Early Years Statutory Framework (EYFS). 

The organisations have pointed to Australia – where an extensive review and consultation led to the inclusion of online safety education in the Early Years Learning Framework – as an example of good practice in digital technologies and online safety for young children, educators and their families.

The three organisations are also calling for the development of clear and comprehensive advice on this area for families in the early years with a focus on helping children to grow up as digitally competent as well as safe, reflecting the fact that in today's modern society,  young children engage and live with technology in every aspect of their daily lives – anything from speaking to smart speakers to using toothbrushes that help them brush for two minutes.  

Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance said:

“For the last 20 years, the risks and harms faced by children online have been both significant and deeply concerning. Understandably, much of the attention has centred on protecting teenagers. However, mounting evidence from the Internet Watch Foundation, Ofcom, and safeguarding partners makes it clear that children in the early years and their families are also experiencing real and growing dangers online.

“Early years education lays the groundwork for all future learning and development, shaping a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical wellbeing. It is therefore imperative that we recognise the unique needs of this age group when considering digital literacy. Building digital literacy from the earliest years is not only essential for promoting online safety, but also for fostering the critical thinking and resilience children need to thrive in a digital world.

“We urge the current parliamentary review of media literacy to ensure that robust, age-appropriate recommendations are made for children from birth to five and their families. This must include a dedicated statement and supporting materials in the Early Years Statutory Framework, so that every child has the best possible start in our increasingly digital society.”

Beatrice Merrick, Chief Executive of Early Education, said:

“We urge government to move swiftly to support parents, carers and early years practitioners in relation to use of digital media with babies and young children, including make specific recommendations for children from birth to 8  under the current parliamentary media literacy review. 

“This rapidly evolving area causes great concern and uncertainty for the Early Years community, yet there is now a growing body of research and global case studies to help keep young children safe and promote their healthy development, including the Australian Early Years Framework.

“The current situation is putting children at significant risk of harm but banning the use of digital devices with young children and families is neither realistic nor desirable. Just as we’ve addressed the dangers of motor vehicles through road safety measures, codes and child-specific protections like seat belts and car seats, we must also ensure that digital technologies are governed by appropriate legislation and supported by public awareness of potential risks, as well as benefits of digital media by providing consistent, constructive age-appropriate guidance for families and professionals alike.”

Purnima Tanuku CBE, NDNA’s Executive Chair said:

“Technology is an unavoidable part of life everyone, even for our youngest children. We know from Ofcom that some children under five already have access to their own devices. Technology has a role to play in early education as part of children’s learning, development and quality of life but it must be monitored carefully to protect children. This is why our early year’s education system needs to prepare them for the reality they will face and how they can use devices safely.

“It is also important that they are supported by the adults in their life, including parents and early years professionals, to be safe when using devices. They are at a crucial stage of development which must be promoted, including physical, social and cognitive aspects.

“The Government needs to review the existing data and research to ensure that clear guidance and information is available to parents, carers and providers. This will ensure they can be confident in promoting children’s safety and wellbeing while using these devices. This work also needs to be futureproofed given the rate of change in this area."