Children’s Media Use and Attitudes
Media literacy enables people to have the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to make full use of the opportunities presented both by traditional and by new communications services. Media literacy also helps people to manage content and communications, and protect themselves and their families from the potential risks associated with using these services.
Our research includes findings relating to parents’ views about their children’s media use, and the ways that parents seek to – or decide not to – monitor or limit use of different types of media.
The Communications Act 2003 placed a responsibility on Ofcom to promote, and to carry out research in, media literacy. Our research into children’s media literacy contributes to Ofcom's fulfilment of this duty.
Children and parents: media use and attitudes report 2020/21
This report examines children’s media literacy. It provides detailed evidence on media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged 5-15, as well as about the media access and use of young children aged 3-4.
The report also includes findings relating to parents’ views about their children’s media use, and the ways that parents seek – or decide not – to monitor or limit use of different types of media.
The report is a reference for industry, stakeholders and consumers. It also provides context to the work Ofcom undertakes in furthering the interests of consumers and citizens in the markets we regulate.
This report provides analysis of the findings from the seventh year of Ofcom’s Children’s Media Lives study. As far as possible, the research has followed the same 18 children, aged 8-18, over consecutive years, interviewing them on camera each year about their media habits and attitudes.
The study provides evidence about the motivations and the context of children’s media use, and how media are part of their daily lives and domestic circumstances. It also provides rich detail on how media habits and attitudes change over time, particularly in relation to children's emotional and cognitive development.
This research is designed as a way of providing a small-scale, rich and detailed qualitative complement to Ofcom’s quantitative surveys of media literacy.
Children’s Media Lives: Covid-19 specific findings
This report provides analysis of the findings of a Covid-19 specific wave of Ofcom’s Children’s Media Lives study. The research began in 2014 as a way of providing a small-scale, rich and detailed qualitative complement to Ofcom’s quantitative surveys of media literacy.
Children’s and parents media use and attitudes report 2019
This report examines children’s media literacy. It provides detailed evidence on media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged 5-15, as well as about the media access and use of young children aged 3-4.
The report also includes findings relating to parents’ views about their children’s media use, and the ways that parents seek – or decide not – to monitor or limit use of different types of media.
The report is a reference for industry, stakeholders and consumers. It also provides context to the work Ofcom undertakes in furthering the interests of consumers and citizens in the markets we regulate.
We have also produced a collection of worksheets for children aged 8-11.
This report provides analysis of the findings from the sixth year of Ofcom’s Children’s Media Lives study. As far as possible, the research has followed the same 18 children, aged 8-15 at the beginning of the study, over consecutive years, interviewing them on camera each year about their media habits and attitudes.
The study provides evidence about the motivations and the context of children’s media use, and how media are part of their daily lives and domestic circumstances. It also provides rich detail on how media habits and attitudes change over time, particularly in relation to children's emotional and cognitive development.
This research is designed as a way of providing a small-scale, rich and detailed qualitative complement to Ofcom’s quantitative surveys of media literacy.
- Children’s and parents media use and attitudes report 2018
- Life on the small screen: What children are watching and why (PDF, 6.1 MB)
This report examines children’s media literacy. It provides detailed evidence on media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged 5-15, as well as about the media access and use of young children aged 3-4.
The report also includes findings relating to parents’ views about their children’s media use, and the ways that parents seek – or decide not – to monitor or limit use of different types of media.
The report is a reference for industry, stakeholders and consumers. It also provides context to the work Ofcom undertakes in furthering the interests of consumers and citizens in the markets we regulate.
Ofcom commissioned this qualitative research to explore what video content children are watching, how they reach it and why they choose it.
It is always difficult for people – even adults – to articulate why they like what they like. For children, it can be even harder, so research that relies on asking them this question won’t reveal the full picture.
Instead, this research has gathered an objective dataset of what children watched across all platforms, before exploring with them the context, journey and decision-making process that led them to specific examples.
Children's media literacy research - 29 Nov 2017
The findings from the Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report have been drawn together in the executive summary (PDF, 938.2 KB), providing a rich picture of the media use, attitudes and understanding of children and young people aged 3-15, and how this has changed over time.
Children's media literacy research - 16 Nov 2016
Ofcom’s 2016 children’s research brings together a suite of reports covering children’s media literacy, including:
- Children’s and Parents’ Media Use and Attitudes quantitative report: 16 Nov 2016
- Children’s Media Lives qualitative report: 16 Nov 2016
- Children’s Digital Day 16 Nov 2016
The findings from all these reports have been drawn together in the executive summary of the Children’s and Parents’ Media Use and Attitudes report (PDF, 243.8 KB), providing a rich picture of the media use, attitudes and understanding of children and young people aged 3-15, and how this has changed over time.
Children and parents: media use and attitudes report Oct 2010
UK children's media literacy Apr 2010
2009
UK children's media literacy 2009 interim report Oct 2009
UK children's media literacy 2009 interim report: annex - top 50 websites Oct 2009
Digital Lifestyles: parents of children under 16 Jun 2009
2008
UK code of practice for the self-regulation of new forms of content on mobiles Aug 2008
Media literacy audit - report on UK children's media literacy May 2008
Annex 3 media literacy audit - report on UK children, by platform May 2008
2007
2006
Media literacy audit: report on media literacy among children May 2006