CHILDREN and young people in Scotland see dangerous and explicit online content as the greatest threat they face, according to a new study.

Speaking to more than 2,460 children aged 11-25 across Scotland about their lives, charity Children First found 79 per cent said they are moderately to extremely worried about seeing harmful online content, while 78 per cent reported they were anxious about the impact of social media.

Less than a quarter believed their childhood was better than their parents’, as worries about smartphone use and mental health issues also topped concerns.

Warning the findings were further “shocking” evidence of the depth of “Scotland’s national childhood emergency,” Children First’s Mary Glasgow said: “The level of fear and anxiety that children and young people feel about the dangers of being online and the impact on their mental health is shocking.

“We must take children’s concerns seriously and act with urgency.

“The terrible reality is that the online threats to our children and young people are growing daily.

“Technology platforms need to stop shirking their responsibility for children’s online safety.

“They must put children before profit and make young people’s safety their top priority.”