According to the survey, 45.7 percent of households said their children’s accounts lack full privacy protection, compared with 43.3 percent who said the accounts are fully secured, while 8.7 percent reported being unaware of their children’s privacy settings.
The index, issued by the IDSC, an affiliate of the Egyptian Cabinet, aims to measure the safety of children’s digital environments and assess the effectiveness of protection measures against online risks. Officials said the tool is designed to support policymakers in strengthening legal, technical, and awareness frameworks to ensure safer internet use for children.
Based on a telephone survey of 863 heads of households, the composite index comprises four sub-indicators: safe digital use, parental supervision and guidance, protection from digital risks, and awareness and institutional support.
Sub-indicator results
The Safe Digital Use sub-index scored 75.6 points, suggesting relatively moderate and secure internet usage among children aged 5–12. The Parental Supervision and Guidance sub-index reached 61.5 points, reflecting above-average levels of parental oversight.
The Protection from Digital Risks sub-index recorded 86.1 points, indicating strong safeguards against online threats. However, the Awareness and Institutional Support sub-index lagged at 21.8 points, highlighting gaps in formal awareness programs and reporting mechanisms.
The IDSC said scores closer to 100 reflect stronger digital protection and awareness, while lower scores signal higher exposure to risks and weaker monitoring systems.
Usage patterns
According to the findings, 48.5 percent of households said their children aged 5–12 spend less than two hours per day online, while 30.2 percent reported usage between two and four hours daily. About 4 percent reported that their children spend more than 8 hours online.
Entertainment and gaming account for 42.3 percent of average daily online time, compared with 33.3 percent for educational use and 24.4 percent for cultural or informational purposes.
Watching online videos was cited as the most common activity (49.7 percent), followed by electronic games such as Roblox (45.9 percent), social media use (29 percent), and e-learning (28.9 percent).
Parental oversight and exposure to risks
The survey showed that 95.6 percent of children do not use the internet outside the home without parental supervision. Around 73.2 percent of parents discuss online activities with their children, while roughly 64 percent monitor their children's online activity and set clear time limits. Only 16.7 percent use dedicated digital monitoring software.
Despite relatively high protection scores, 28.5 percent of households reported their children had encountered frightening or violent content, and 16 percent said their children were exposed to inappropriate material.
Around 6.4 percent reported that children had shared personal photos or videos, 3.9 percent said they subscribed to unknown applications, and 3.7 percent said they accepted contact requests from strangers.
Only 18.1 percent of parents said they actively intervene in risky online situations, while 33.4 percent said neither parent intervenes.
Institutional awareness gaps
Institutional awareness remains limited. While 44.4 percent of households said it is easy to report harmful content on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, 40.6 percent said they do not know how to report such content.
Only 4.6 percent of families attend digital safety workshops or seminars, and just 13.9 percent are aware of an official authority or hotline for reporting internet-related risks.
The IDSC said the findings underscore the need to strengthen awareness programs, expand institutional support mechanisms, and refine policy frameworks to ensure a safer digital environment for children.
In Cairo, lawmakers have launched a national dialogue on regulating minors’ access to digital platforms, examining age-verification systems, stronger parental controls, and tougher penalties, while regulators have already taken action against certain platforms over child safety concerns.
Elsewhere, France has approved a ban on social media use for children under 15, Spain has proposed raising the minimum age to 16, and Australia has enacted a law barring under-16s from holding social media accounts, making platforms liable for failures in age enforcement.
In the United Kingdom, authorities are implementing the Online Safety Act 2023, which imposes stricter duties on platforms to protect minors and requires age-assurance measures, with further tightening under consideration.
Together, these moves reflect growing global momentum toward mandatory age verification, stronger platform accountability, and enhanced child online protection.
Short link: