KIDS as young as eight are giving out personal information to strangers online making them vulnerable to paedophiles and data thieves.

Information such as pet names, email addresses and mobile numbers, which many kids are innocently sharing on their social media profiles, can be used by crooks to hack into their accounts or by disgusting sexual predators.

A worrying new survey has revealed almost a third of eight to 13-year-olds are giving out personal details – such as their home address – to people they have never met.

But more than a third of parents do not check who their children are talking to online and many do not understand the social media platforms.

Earlier this year The Sun Online revealed young kids were being bombarded with sexually explicit messages on the new social media app, Tik Tok.

Youtube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and Roblox were most likely to be used by the surveyed kids.

But just 10% of children think their parents understand the picture-sharing app, Snapchat, and the design-your-own-game app, Roblox.

Snapchat bosses admitted there is no way they can enforce their own ban on under-13's getting the controversial app.

Presenter and mum of two Tess Daly, 50, who has teamed up with O2 and NSPCC to launch a new site to educate parents,  said: “I know how difficult the topic of online safety can be between parents and their kids.

“It’s our job as parents to do all we can to make sure our children know about staying safe online, and to make sure we have open conversations with them so they feel comfortable asking questions they might think seem awkward."

One mum told The Sun Online she is concerned that a lot of kids in her 11-year-old daughter's class have an "IBF", an internet best friend.

The 47-year-old mum-of-three said: "It's hard to keep up to date with all the new social media but I do try to keep a close watch and remind my children not to share anything personal.

"It's quite scary how much some of their school friends share online."

Top tips for parents from the UK Safer Internet Centre

British online safety charity Childnet has some tips for parents to help young people stay safe online.

1. Stay engaged and have regular conversations

• Show an interest in the games your children are playing. This could be through having a conversation about what they like to play or could be through watching them play the game. You could even have a go at playing the games yourself! If children know you have an interest in the game, they may feel more comfortable talking to you about it or coming to you for help if they need it.

2. Help them understand the importance of personal information

• Check that your child understands:
  – the importance of keeping their personal information safe
  – that the should speak to an adult straight away if the chat goes from being about the game to meeting up offline, personal information or sending images.

3. Set rules around spending money in games

Have a conversation with your child to make sure they realise that is possible to spend real money on the game. Make promises that work for your family; perhaps your child will have to ask you for permission before they make an in-game purchase.

4. Make use of the safety features available

• Block and report:
  Make sure your child knows how to find and use the report and block functions.
• Safety settings:
  Set up the parental controls that are right for your family.
• Settings for under 13s:
  There are additional safety features for under-13s , so it’s worth checking your child’s account is registered with the correct age. Players under the age of 13 have a <13 symbol next to their username on the game at all times, however this is not displayed to other players.

5. Encourage them to tell you about concerns

• Remind your child that they should come to you if they ever see something inappropriate, mean comments or if anything worries them within the game.

Read their full advice here.

The analysis of 2000 young people’s social media profiles, conducted by O2, revealed that a quarter of kids display their email addresses while 8% show their mobile phone number.

Seemingly innocent information such as pet names and the school they attend are displayed by nearly a quarter of the profiles.

Laura Randall, associate head of Child Safety Online, NSPCC, said: “It is vital parents think of the online world in the same way as the real world.

“They wouldn’t send their child on a school trip without checking where they are going and who they are going with.

“The same level of scrutiny should apply to any app or game their child is using.

“That’s why we continue to work with O2 to provide the latest information for parents about the most popular apps, sites and games their children are using – all at their fingertips on one website.”

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