Org Report

Online Safety Consultation: Public Attitudes Research Briefing

Mar 2026 🇬🇧 Molly Rose Foundation

In March 2026, the Molly Rose Foundation — the UK charity founded and chaired by bereaved father Ian Russell — published a public-attitudes research briefing on online safety regulation, based on polling of roughly 2,000 UK adults. The foundation reports that around nine in ten respondents were concerned about children's online safety, about three-quarters supported new legislation to strengthen regulation of social media platforms, and roughly two-thirds felt the government had so far performed poorly on tackling social-media-related harms. The briefing was published as part of the foundation's contribution to a government consultation process on online safety policy, and the foundation says most respondents wanted policymakers to weigh both parents' views and independent evidence. TechKids Foundation cites this as documented evidence of UK public sentiment underpinning continued advocacy for stronger platform regulation, presented in association language rather than as a causal claim about any specific platform or feature.

91% concerned

The foundation's polling found roughly nine in ten UK adults surveyed expressed concern about children's online safety.

73% support new legislation

About three-quarters of the roughly 2,000 UK adults surveyed said they supported new legislation to strengthen social media regulation.

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CITATION

Molly Rose Foundation. "Online Safety Consultation" research briefing. March 2026. https://mollyrosefoundation.org/resource/online-safety-consultation/

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