Covid inquiry hears children spent up to 19 hours online during lockdown

Children spent up to 19 hours a day online during lockdown, with many exposed to violent pornography and at risk of sexual abuse, the UK COVID-19 Inquiry has heard.

The inquiry will examine a range of issues, including the extent to which children were taken into account when key decisions were made about their education and welfare, as well as the support and decision-making provided for the most vulnerable young people.

Counsel to the inquiry, Clair Dobbin KC, said the closure of schools and widespread furlough created conditions where both children and abusers were online in greater numbers. She explained:

"The National Crime Agency concluded that school closures and furlough caused more children and more child sexual abuse offenders to be online. That increased exposure led to more children encountering violent pornography and a marked increase in sexual abuse between children of similar age.”

One child told the inquiry:

“I was sitting there with no school, playing Animal Crossing for like six months. There was nothing else to do. It just became my whole day.”

Another said:

“I played Roblox for up to 19 hours a day. People would answer remote lessons in bed, cameras off, posting on Instagram or Snapchat while watching The Only Way Is Essex. That was school for us.”

Dobbin noted that not all children had such experiences, but said they were a “compelling illustration of how hard it was for some children to stay engaged at home”. She stressed:

“It’s the child’s voice which demonstrates what the problems were – beyond simply having a device or logging into a lesson. It shows what really needs to be tackled if online forms of education are to be effective in any future pandemic.”

Campaigners have long argued that stronger safeguards are needed to protect children online.

Age verification measures for access to adult content, if implemented earlier, could have prevented many children from being exposed to violent pornography during the lockdown period.

The inquiry highlights an urgent need for action to reduce the time children spend online and to strengthen protections against harmful material. Without stronger measures, experts warn that children will remain vulnerable to exploitation in any future crisis.

Public hearings for Module 8 of the inquiry – focusing on the pandemic’s impact on children – began this week and will run until 23 October.