Charities have backed efforts to protect children from online harm but warned that tighter restrictions on social media for under-16s could have unintended consequences for vulnerable young people.
New research commissioned by Benefact Group found that 97% of charities support measures to protect children online. However, 69% are concerned that restricting access to social media could make it harder for some vulnerable young people to find and access support.
Just over half of the charities surveyed (52%) said they communicate directly with under-16s through social media, including by pointing them towards support services and sharing educational and wellbeing information. A similar proportion (54%), said they feel social media is an important way of making young people aware of their services.
Some charities spoke of cases where social media had helped them reach young people who might otherwise have remained out of contact, with one in four saying they had experienced occasions where social media enabled them to engage with a vulnerable young person who may not have sought support through other channels.
The organisations surveyed were particularly concerned about the impact of restrictions on groups already at greater risk of becoming isolated.
Young people not in education were most frequently identified as a group that could become harder to reach, cited by 40% of charities. This was followed by young people with mental health concerns and children and young people in care, both at 38%, while 33% identified children and young people excluded from school.
The charities also expect the changes could increase pressure on their own resources. 38% said they believed they would face higher costs if social media became a less effective way of reaching under-16s.
Many said they would need to increase their reliance on other routes, including schools, community organisations and youth centres.
But there are concerns about whether those services have enough resources to take on the additional demand. Only 25% of charities surveyed said current funding levels would allow them to replace the reach they currently achieve through social media.
Martin Cosser, CEO and Founder at Charlie’s Promise said: ‘As a father who has lost a child to knife crime, I have enormous compassion for families whose children have been harmed, murdered, or targeted through social media. However, we can’t lose sight of the other side of this conversation or simply reduce this debate to whether social media is good or bad.
‘Social media has become one of the most powerful tools we have for educating, engaging, and reaching young people who may never walk through a charity’s doors or turn up to an event. If we take it away without replacing it with something just as effective, we risk making the very young people we’re trying to protect even harder to reach.
‘Any restrictions need to be matched by real investment in schools, youth services, community organisations, and charities. You can’t simply close one door and just assume another opens on its own.’
Chris Pitt, Group Impact Director at Benefact Group, said: ‘As an organisation that has donated over £250 million to more than 10,000 charities since 2014, we wanted to understand how changes to social media access could affect the young people they work with. While charities overwhelmingly support efforts to protect children online, many are concerned that vulnerable young people could lose an important route to help and information.
‘Schools, charities and community organisations play a vital role in supporting vulnerable young people and may face additional pressure if social media becomes a less effective route to support. Any changes to how under-16s access online services should be accompanied by investment in alternative support networks to help ensure no young person falls through the cracks.
‘Social media platforms, policymakers, schools, charities and parents all have a role to play in helping young people stay safe online while maintaining access to trusted sources of information and support.’
The survey was carried out by Qualtrics on behalf of Benefact Group between 21th and 31th July 2026, with 368 charities taking part.
Photo: Alexander Shatov
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