Parents in Northern Ireland increasingly believe online safety should be taught as a core life skill to primary-school children, placing it alongside fundamentals such as swimming, new research by Fibrus suggests.

The study shows four in five parents of primary-aged children in NI (80%) consider learning to use the internet safely to be as essential as learning to swim. Online safety has now overtaken riding a bike (63%) as a must-have competency for children as they move towards their teenage years.

Overall, 80% of NI parents ranked internet safety ahead of swimming (77%), tying shoelaces (75%), handling money (72%) and cycling proficiency (63%) as foundational life skills — a higher rate than the UK-wide figure of 75%. Despite the prevalence of digital tools, 86% of parents still see reading an analogue clock as the most essential way of telling the time.

County-level differences emerged. Parents in Antrim and Down were most likely to say safe internet use is essential (82% in both), compared with 79% in Armagh and 74% in Derry/Londonderry. Down also topped the list for financial literacy, with 80% of parents rating it essential, versus 71% in Derry/Londonderry and 69% in both Antrim and Armagh.

Following a UK-wide debate — with 9 in 10 parents backing an under-16 social media ban (gov.uk survey, June 2026) — only 11% of NI parents believe the internet in general should be completely restricted. Instead, 89% prefer a "teach, not ban" approach focused on knowing when to switch off, led by Derry/Londonderry at 92%, followed by Antrim and Down (88%) and Armagh (85%). More than three-quarters (77%) think the internet — and learning to use it safely early on — will unlock more opportunities for their children than they had themselves, rising to 85% in Derry/Londonderry and dipping to 71% in Armagh; fewer than 1% believe it will offer fewer.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of NI parents agreed a child's broadband connection now shapes their future opportunities as much as the school they attend — a sign that high-speed access has become critical to academic and professional prospects. Agreement is strongest in Armagh at 81% (including 27% who strongly agree), compared with 68% in Derry/Londonderry, 61% in Antrim and 57% in Down. The internet is also a mainstay for learning support: 95% of NI parents say they rely on it to help with homework — 98% in Antrim and 96% in Derry/Londonderry, compared with 87% in Down. Maths and numeracy (60%) are the subjects most often supported online, led by Derry/Londonderry (67%), while 54% value the internet for developing creative skills such as drawing, music and video editing. Down leads on both creative skills (57%) and coding/programming (29%), nearly double Antrim (15%).

If the internet were switched off tomorrow, 47% of NI families say they would most miss streaming TV together — rising to 51% in Derry/Londonderry and 50% in Antrim, and 41% in Down. In Down, one in five (20%) would most miss working from home, versus 12% in Derry/Londonderry — an indication that technology often brings families together, despite common claims of increasing isolation.

Broadband now ranks second only to electricity as the most critical household item for 60% of NI respondents, outranking a car (58%). In Armagh, the gap is wider (58% broadband vs 40% car), while in Down the priorities are virtually tied (64% and 63% respectively), underscoring how vital connectivity has become for everyday life.

Colin Hutchinson, Managing Director of Fibrus, said: "In a year that has seen much debate around the use of the internet safely, there is no doubt that it requires continued effort from industry and users alike to discuss, understand and develop some guardrails around its usage.

"We were keen to examine how the internet could be a force for good in the lives of families, and in light of the under 16 social media ban conversation, understand the views of parents of primary school aged children for whom the next 10 years will be critical in shaping an understanding of how the internet can help the next generation.

"We absolutely agree that safe use of the internet is a necessary life skill and that's why we've shaped a primary school targeted internet safety booklet and have been rolling out workshops across Northern Ireland and Cumbria. But we're also heartened to see from the research just how much of a fundamental role the internet plays in the daily lives of people across the UK. We know how critical it is to foster connection, helping both young and old. We have seen firsthand how giving rural communities access to essential utilities – often taken for granted in cities – empowers people to thrive both personally and professionally.

"The internet is not all bad and with the right measures in place, it can really enable people to learn, play, connect and create."