A staggering 80 per cent of Kiwi kids believe they are at risk of abuse or mistreatment online – one of the highest proportions in the developed world.

The alarming findings emerged from ChildFund Alliance's sixth annual Small Voices, Big Dreams survey, which has a reputation for being one of the world's most comprehensive polls of children's views.

A global survey gives troubling insights into where children believe they are at risk; young Kiwis feel among the most vulnerable in the developed world, especially when using the internet. Photo: File.

The survey asked where children believed they may be at risk of physical or emotional abuse or mistreatment, giving several multi-choice options.

The most popular response among young New Zealanders was ‘online', selected by four out of five respondents (80 per cent) - the fourth highest proportion out of the 44 countries ChildFund surveyed.

The only places where a higher percentage of children saw the Internet as unsafe were Sweden (84 per cent), Australia (85 per cent) and France (87 per cent).

'It's an astonishing figure, says ChildFund New Zealand Chief Executive Paul Brown. 'Our kids are all too aware of the dangers on the web

'The Internet's become a part of many children's daily lives, and in many cases they're required to use tablets and apps to complete school work, but it's not necessarily an environment they feel safe navigating.”

Paul says while it's reassuring that children are aware of the very real risks of being online, the finding also highlights how important it is to ask questions and listen to our children in order to better protect them.

'By involving children in these sometimes difficult conversations, we as parents and caregivers can take the necessary action to make the world a safer place for them,” says Paul.

A similar proportion of New Zealand children are also wary of the dangers of walking alone (81 per cent).

Home is where the hurt is

While parents and caregivers may take comfort in knowing that young Kiwis are aware of online dangers, some may be surprised to learn that half also identified ‘home' as a place where children may be at risk of abuse or mistreatment.

The proportion was higher than for children globally (42 per cent) and significantly higher than the overall proportion for children in developed countries (28 per cent).

'This raises some serious red flags,” admits Paul.

'We expect home to be a haven; the one place we're guaranteed safety and protection.

'To think that half of Kiwi kids believe home has the potential to be the opposite for children - a place of danger - is heart-breaking."

When asked why adults mistreat children, 67 per cent of young New Zealanders answered ‘punishment', and 52 per cent selected ‘because they were victims of abuse themselves'.