LONDON, UK, July 2025 – New research by YouGov commissioned by Checkout.com, a leading global digital payments platform, reveals that UK parents are concerned about children’s online financial safety.
The data, which forms part of Checkout.com’s Trust in the Digital Economy report, reveals that although nearly two thirds (62%) UK adults feel well informed about how to keep their money safe online, parents are worried about their children. Less than a quarter of parents of under 18s (23%) feel children are well informed on how to keep their money safe online.
New technology is seen as a critical safety net by parents of under 18s, with 56% of parents believing digital ID verification is the future of secure online payments. Half of all parents believe widespread use of digital ID would make the Internet safer (49%) and more than half (51%) would be more trusting of merchants and financial institutions using digital ID verification.
This drive for improved online payments security from parents may be driven by ‘secret spend’, where children are making online payments without their parents’ knowledge. More than 1 in 10 parents (13%) have experienced this, with more than 1 in 20 (7%) saying the unauthorised amount exceeded £1,000.
Likely to combat this phenomenon, more than a quarter of UK parents (26%) are already using payment methods that leverage biometrics for authentication – thereby preventing anyone but themselves from making an online payment on their device.
Rory O’Neill, Chief Marketing Officer at Checkout.com explains, “Trust is the foundation of the digital economy. As more families live and transact online, building confidence in how payments are made is essential, not just for adults, but for the next generation too. When parents know that merchants and platforms are using secure, transparent tools like biometrics and digital ID, they feel reassured. At Checkout.com, we see it as our responsibility to help create an ecosystem where trust isn’t just earned – it’s embedded into every payment. A perceived unsafe payment process will send consumers elsewhere, so it’s critical for online retailers’ sustained growth.”
Positively, the research also shows that UK consumers do have faith in legal protections regarding online payments. 41% of UK adults trust that they are well protected by the law when transacting online, compared to just 16% who do not.
Feeling safe in online transacting is essential, as over half (51%) UK consumers cited uncertainty about the safety of the payment process as the factor most likely to erode their trust and loyalty when shopping online.
