From anti-immigration protests to clashes over gender identity, the tensions dividing society are spilling onto children’s screens. 

A survey of nearly 11,000 children aged 13 to 17 in England and Wales found that 82% have seen social media posts in the past year about harming specific groups — such as migrants or people of certain ethnicities or sexualities. And they’re not just bystanders: over a third (36%) of teenage children say they’ve taken part in these online debates, either to support or to challenge what’s being said. 

The Youth Endowment Fund’s new research reveals the pressures young people face in an online world where provocative content is widespread and individual differences are too often attacked rather than respected. The findings raise important questions about how best to help teenagers think critically about what they see, avoid violence and respond constructively — online and offline alike. 

Violent hate speech is common online

 The findings suggest that around three million teens have seen online posts discussing emotionally or physically harming specific groups. Migrants were the most frequently targeted group, in content seen by 56% of teens, with 15% participating, followed by people of a certain ethnicity or skin colour (55% had seen and 14% had participated), gender identity (54% and 13%) and sexuality (52% and 13%). 

Chart 1. Exposure to online content discussing harming specific groups 

Violence goes viral

Most teenagers have seen real-world acts of violence on social media in the past year – 70% of 13 to 17-year-olds reported seeing such content, on top of exposure to content about harming others. The most common content was fights involving young people (55%), followed by threats to beat up young people (41%), young people carrying, promoting or using weapons (34%), glorification of violence against young people (26%) and sexually violent content (25%). 

Misogynistic content is also common. Almost four in ten teenage children (39%) say they’ve seen material online encouraging violence against women and girls in the past year. 

Online harms, offline solutions

The YEF’s research shows a strong correlation between online and offline violence. In the past year, one in eight teenagers (13%) said they had perpetrated violence — a rate that rises sharply among those exposed to harmful online content. Sixteen per cent of young people who had seen real-life violence on social media reported committing violence themselves, climbing to 22% among those who had seen material promoting violence against women and girls, or online discussions about harming specific groups. 

The answers to the problems children face online can often be found offline – in programmes that build empathy, communication and critical thinking skills.  

Social skills training teaches children to pause before acting, consider others’ perspectives, communicate effectively and manage impulses and aggression. On average, children who take part in these programmes are 32% less likely to become involved in crime.  

Mentoring and sports programmes can also make a difference. They connect children with trusted adults, like youth workers or sport coaches, help de-escalate conflicts, provide an outlet for emotional expression and build positive peer relationships. These approaches have been shown to reduce violence in the real world — and could help children navigate divisive content more safely in the online one. 

Jon Yates, CEO at the Youth Endowment Fund, said: “We are living in an increasingly polarised society, and children are encountering provocative content online at a highly impressionable age. Exposure to racist, misogynistic and other harmful material can shape how they see the world and influence their attitudes and behaviours.  

He adds: “To protect children, we need to help them develop the skills to question, challenge and respond with empathy — not to normalise violent responses, but to question what they hear, understand others’ experiences and care deeply about respect for others.” 

Elijah, YEF Youth Advisory Board member, said: “What I’m seeing in recent years is that social media bleeds more into real life. Where people would only use terminology and speak about people in a certain way on social media, behind a mask, now it also happens in real life, which is extremely concerning.” 

Download the full report

The YEF’s annual Children, Violence and Vulnerability reports provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of children’s experiences of violence in England and Wales.  

Download the first report in this year’s four-part series: The scale of violence affecting children

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Children, Violence and Vulnerability 2025 

The Youth Endowment Fund’s annual Children, Violence and Vulnerability report offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of children’s experiences with violence in England and Wales. 

The findings are based on an online survey of 10,835 children aged 13 to 17 in England and Wales. Conducted by Savanta (a member of the British Polling Council) between May and July 2025. The survey aimed to ensure national representation by setting quotas for key demographics, including age, gender, ethnicity, region and socioeconomic status. These quotas were informed by the 2021 Census population estimates for 13 to 17-year-olds. The results were then weighted to align with national population totals. 

Download the full reports here:  

• Report 1: The scale of violence affecting children 

• Report 2: Violence in relationships (published on 2 December)  

• Report 3: Mental health and experiences of violence (published on 9 December) 

• Report 4: Exploitation and gangs (published on 16 December)