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Younger children increasingly online and unsupervised, Ofcom says

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In its annual study of children’s relationship with the media and online worlds, Ofcom said the number of children aged between five and seven who go online to send messages or make voice and video calls had risen 6% on last year to 65%, while half now watch live-streamed content, up from 39%. The number of parents of younger children who said they were more likely to allow their child to have a social media profile before they reached the minimum age required has also risen, Ofcom said, from 25% to 30%. “And when we altered the question in 2022, separating out gaming, social media, and being online more generally, we saw that parents regarded their child’s gaming and use of social media as more risky than beneficial, although 57% of parents of five-15s still thought that being online in general was a good thing for their child.” The publication of the research comes as the regulator prepares to launch a consultation on its draft children’s safety code of practice for tech firms, which will set out how platforms are expected to protect younger users of their services under the Online Safety Act. Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation Michelle Donelan said: “Children as young as five should not be accessing social media and these stark findings show why our Online Safety Act is essential.

The Independent
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