Only one in four children in Wales tell family about online life

Ms Cifuentes said social media companies had been able to overlook children’s safety, and Ofcom had a “vital” role in holding them to account.

She said children did not always feel safe online.

“We heard from children as young as nine, telling us that they were having uncomfortable conversations with strangers, or that they had experienced aggressive users, or had seen inappropriate content,” she said.

Conversations with families were “crucial”.

“Less than a third of children told us they speak to their parents a lot about what they are doing online,” Ms Cifuentes said.

She encouraged parents to talk to their children about what they are doing online.

Ms Cifuentes said: “When we asked children which particular apps make children feel uncomfortable or unsafe, the ones that were most often mentioned were Roblox, YouTube and also Snapchat.

“Parents should really try and find out about the types of apps their children are using and also the different guidelines.”

The survey findings have been shared with Ofcom. Ms Cifuentes’s office is joining forces with other UK children’s commissioners as she said the problem was UK wide.

NSPCC Cymru’s Ruth Mullineux said the charity continued to call for implementation of the Online Safety Act by Ofcom to ensure tech companies introduce measures to prioritise children’s safety.

“Policy makers and regulators need to be considering young people’s views to understand the realities of the issues they face online and deliver effective responses,” she added.

Elinor Williams of Ofcom Wales said the watchdog had set out more than 40 practical measures which put the responsibility of keeping children safe on tech firms.

Once Ofcom finalised its code of practice, she said, it would not hesitate to use its powers to hold platforms to account.