'Children are spending six, seven, eight hours a day on social media – often more'
Latest Ofcom report looks at how children’s online lives have changed over the last decade:
The latest Children’s Media Lives report from communications regulator Ofcom says ‘many children are spending six, seven, eight hours a day on social media – often more.’
This is a stark increase from the first report, published in 2014, which revealed that young people were spending an average of 12 and a half hours per week online.
In addition, this year’s report details how watching video content has become the most popular online activity and how that video content has changed over the last decade.
What is the Children’s Media Lives report?
In 2014, Ofcom gathered a group of young people aged 8-17-years-old and interviewed them about how they engaged with online life. They also kept diaries of their screen time and online usage and were tracked online with their permission.
The same group of children have been surveyed every year since, replacing them once they turn 18. The subsequent annual reports have shown how the respondents have changed as they age and how online lives have changed in general.
How has online use changed over the last decade?
As this is the tenth year of the report, as well as analysing this year’s findings as stand-alone data, Ofcom has been able to look at the changes in online behaviour over the last decade.
Social media
While social media was popular with young people in 2014, it was part of a ‘mixed media diet’ with children still watching television. Now, ten years on, the time they spend online has increased significantly and social media platforms are their main source of entertainment and information.
The report does note that ‘social media become less and less social’ with the majority of young people using it to watch video content rather than interact with others.
Smartphones
There has been a steady increase in the number of children with their own smartphone, the latest report suggests that the majority of children get their first smartphone at age 9 or 10 and that ‘a quarter of three to four-year-olds have one’.
Another significant change is that most of the children who had smartphones in 2014 did so on a pay-as-you-go basis, which limited their use. Now, more young people have contracts with large data allowance and connect their phones to the family wi-fi, removing the limitations.
Interaction with friends
The report explains that social interaction is ‘now confined mostly to chat apps and gaming’ highlighting Snapchat as the most popular platform for messaging friends.
When gaming online, children are ‘visiting’ friends on games such as Roblox instead of in person and some of the participants in the report said they preferred this kind of interaction to face-to-face ones.
Some of the children questioned said they would feel lonely without online gaming and access to social media.
Video content: ‘shorter, faster paced, louder’
Last year’s report focused on the growing popularity of split-screen video content, where two videos play at once, alongside each other on screen. Short-form, fast-paced content continues to be the dominant trend.
Like last year, split-screen videos remain popular and sometimes split screens now show three or four videos at the same time.
With the ever-increasing popularity of very short content, creators are employing specific tactics to try and keep viewers engaged, including ‘watch to the end’ messages with the promise of big reveals.
Other ways of maintaining users’ attention include:
- short clips from longer-form media such as television and film
- dramatic moments
- loud, intense voiceover
- exaggerated personas
- risky challenges
- videos involving large sums of money
In contrast to the popularity of fast-paced content, there has also been a significant rise in the number of children seeking out ASMR videos.
ASMR stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’. These videos focus on sensory stimulation through clear audio that triggers a physical response, like goosebumps. They are much slower and focus on close-up manipulation of materials with the sound amplified for the viewer or organising items satisfyingly.
The report does note a potential problem with the popularity of this type of content, saying that it can ‘extend in just a few clicks into more bodily, adult and sexual themes’. One of the children involved in the report said they found videos in this manner that made them uncomfortable.
‘Children’s caution about what they share publicly online has further increased’
With more understanding of the potential risk of sharing online, the children involved suggested that they are more reluctant to post things publicly with large groups, instead sharing more selectively by:
- sharing things using temporary and time-sensitive settings so that they would only be visible for a limited period
- sharing on private groups so that only selected friends or family can see what they post
- resharing things that others have posted to try and reflect how they were feeling
Algorithms and targeted content
Social media algorithms mean children and young people are fed the kind of content they show a preference for. They are specifically targeted by companies wanting to sell them products or paid-for content.
This method of feeding users content tailored to their interests encourages them to stay on the platform longer.
While some of the older children involved in the research were beginning to reflect critically on the way they are targeted online, others seemed not to consider how their social feeds were being designed to promote viewpoints and sell products.
A significant difference between the types of content girls and boys are seeing online emerged in the report. Girls’ feeds are dominated by things such as:
- content showing influencers’ lives, for example, ‘get ready with me’ videos
- make-up
- fashion
- mental health (some of which included suggestions of symptoms and might lead to users either self-diagnosing or seeking diagnosis)
Boys are seeing content that is more focused on:
- health and fitness
- workouts
- motivational advice
Both boys and girls admitted to being influenced into purchasing things by content they had seen online.
Aspiring to be a content creator
Many young people are becoming increasingly aware of what sort of content gets the most engagement and are tailoring their posts to try and emulate what they see as successful.
While many are choosing to post less publicly, those who are still doing so are motivated by the idea of attracting talent scouts and brand sponsorship and developing a following, perhaps leading to a career in content creation.
What do educators and parents need to be aware of?
The report reveals several issues that adults should be aware of.
- Children realise that not everything they see online is trustworthy, but are also unsure of how to differentiate content or where to go to find out what is genuine information. Talking to them about what they see online and signposting reliable sources is important.
- Some video content that focuses on conditions such as ADHD and symptoms of these conditions are making children feel anxious or self-diagnose. Keep an eye out for signs that children might be anxious about their physical or mental health and chat to them about seeing a GP if they have concerns.
- Many children report that they spend more time online when they are lonely, bored or anxious. Some seek out ASMR video content when they feel they need soothing in some way or help with sleeping. It’s important to set boundaries for screen time, but making sure children have opportunities to do other things and see friends and family will help deter them from spending too much time online.
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Very interesting read and a prime topic for the PSHE and life skills field. Thanks for sharing.