Insights Ofcom publishes report on Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes 2017

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This annual report provides detailed evidence on media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged five to 15.

It also includes findings relating to parents’ views about their children’s media use, and the ways that parents seek to manage or limit use of different types of media.

This year, the report examines for the first time how children aged 12-15 consume news and online content, with a particular focus on their experience of “fake news”.

Key findings from the report include:

  • social media is one of the most popular news sources for older children, but is often not trusted;
  • nine in ten older children would check whether news on social media is true;
  • more younger children are online than ever before, including half of pre-schoolers; and
  • the YouTube brand is more recognised by older children than BBC One and ITV.

Alongside the media literacy research, Ofcom is also launching a review to examine the range and quality of children’s programmes across TV broadcasters and content providers. To read Ofcom’s news release in full and for a link to the report, click here.

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