This research examined how livestreaming service design influences user behaviour and online safety, for users watching and creating livestreams using a behavioural audit methodology.
This research examined livestreaming services and how their design influences user behaviour and online safety. It was designed and conducted by Ofcom’s Behavioural Insight Hub and used a behavioural audit methodology. The research supports the development of regulatory codes of practice under the UK Online Safety Act (OSA) and is directly relevant to recent announcements by the UK Government that introduce additional restrictions on livestreams for children.
In the livestreaming user journey, the research found that:
- Sign-up flows were designed for speed and did not require researchers to complete age checks using methods set out in our highly effective age assurance guidance.
- Content played automatically and design features guided users towards livestreams through visual cues. There were some protections for younger users to reduce the likelihood of encountering livestreams.
- The set-up of livestreams was easy, and safety tools could be skipped over before going live.
- Interaction and gifting features were highly visible and may encourage longer engagement. In some cases, restricted features were displayed to younger users, potentially making them more appealing and inviting workarounds.
- Safety tools existed on all the services, but had low visibility, effortful reporting routes and initial settings that normalised low safety.
While this research delivers important insights into services’ design features, it only provides a snapshot of service design and practices at a specific point in time and across a limited set of services and user journeys.
If you would like to comment on this research report, please email: behavioural.insights@ofcom.org.uk