Ofcom – written evidence (CHI0051)
Section 1
1.1 Ofcom welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Lords’ Communications Committee inquiry into Children and the Internet.
1.2 Our submission provides details of Ofcom’s roles and responsibilities relating to online child protection. These include Ofcom’s extensive research into children’s online access and use; participation in some specific initiatives to address particular online risks; and our responsibilities for regulation of certain video-on-demand services.
1.3 Ofcom conducts regular, detailed research into media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged 3-15, as well as the ways parents seek to mediate this use. Conducting this research is a responsibility placed on Ofcom by Section 14 (6a) of the Communications Act 2003. Sections 2-4 of our response set out the most relevant findings from that research.
1.4 Ofcom has recently participated in two initiatives to address specific online risks. We recently monitored the roll-out of family-friendly network-level filtering, details of which are set out in section 5.
1.5 Ofcom is also a member of the Executive Board of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), which include a variety of stakeholders from industry, charities and the Government to discuss and find solution to a variety of online safety issues. As part of our membership of UKCCIS we chaired the UKCCIS social media working group, providing guidance for creators of interactive services for children. Details of this work are also set out in section 5.
1.6 Ofcom also has a limited direct regulatory role in protecting children online through our regulation of adult content and hate speech on notified video-on-demand services, details of which are provided in section 6.
Section 2
2.1 Our response to the inquiry begins by setting out the relevant findings from our research into children’s media use, drawing primarily on the following studies[1]:
- Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes, 2015. An annual quantitative research report into the use and understanding of media among children aged 3-15 and the ways in which their parents’ seek to mediate that use; and
- Children’s Media Lives: Year 1 findings, 2014 and Children’s Media Lives: Year 2 findings, 2015. Reports setting out the findings of Ofcom’s qualitative, longitudinal research study, interviewing the same 18 8-15 year olds every year between 2014 and 2016.
2.2 To provide context to our response we first provide some background on how children are going online.
2.3 Thirty-nine per cent of 3-4s, 67% of 5-7s, 91% of 8-11s and 98% of 12-15s went online at home or elsewhere in 2015.
2.4 The amount of time children are spending online is increasing. As shown in Figure 1.1, in 2015 it ranged from 6 hours and 48 minutes a week for 3-4s to 18 hours and 54 minutes for 12-15s. For 8-11s and 12-15s time online has more than doubled in a decade.
Fig 1.1 Time spent online by age: 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2015
QP25A-B– How many hours would you say he/ she spends going online on a typical school day/ on a weekend day? (spontaneous question, single coded)
Base: Parents of children aged 3-7 who use the internet at home or elsewhere and children aged 8-15 who use the internet at home or elsewhere (VARIABLE BASE).
2.5 Children are increasingly likely to use portable devices to go online. In 2015 tablets were the device used most often for going online for all age groups except 12-15s, who mostly used their mobile phones. In 2015 one in ten 5-15s only went online using a device other than a desktop or laptop (Figure 1.2).
Figure 1.2 Device ‘mostly’ used by children to go online at home (2010) or at home and elsewhere (2015), by age[2]
QP24 – And when your child goes online at home or elsewhere, which device do they mostly use? (prompted responses, single coded).
Base: Parents whose child ever goes online at home or elsewhere aged 3-4 (262) or 5-15 (1176 aged 5-15, 260 aged 5-7, 441 aged 8-11, 475 aged 12-15).
2.6 The internet is therefore increasingly central to children’s lives. They are spending more time online, and are more likely to be doing this on portable devices. The next sections will set out the benefits and risks of this increased use.
Section 3
Children’s online media use - the benefits and risks
3.1 This section sets out the benefits and risks to children identified in Ofcom’s research.
Benefits
3.2 Half of parents of 3-4s who go online (51%) and nearly two-thirds of parents of children aged 5-15 (65%) agree that the benefits of the internet outweigh the risks.
3.3 The benefits identified in our research include: education and skills, entertainment and creativity, and for older children, opportunities for social interaction and identity formation.
Education and skills
3.4 Qualitative research conducted by Ofcom found that parents see the internet as an invaluable homework and learning resource for their children. They also felt that gaining proficiency in using the internet would be critical to their children’s future prospects.[3] Many of the children in our qualitative research were using technology for homework as well as to enhance their learning in school.
Entertainment and creativity
3.5 Children in our qualitative research were also using the internet for entertainment and creativity. This included using it to enhance their personal interests or passions. For instance Robert, aged 14, was accessing a wide range of websites, podcasts and news sources to expand his knowledge and understanding of football; Brigit, 16, was using Pinterest and YouTube to enhance her crafting skills and Nadia, 10, was having Arabic lessons via Skype.
3.6 The internet, and YouTube in particular, was also used to expand children’s creative activities, with, for instance, a number of the children watching video tutorials for drawing and craft projects.
I got this app called Fun2Draw. It teaches you to draw different animals and fruit and things. I think I was just bored one day. I do them every day. Then the other day I found they have YouTube videos too so now I watch them too.
Josie, 11
3.7 Some games also offered considerable scope for creativity, particularly Minecraft which many of the children played in ‘creative mode’, engaging in extensive design and construction.
Social interaction and identity formation
3.8 As children get older the social elements of the internet become more important.
3.9 In 2015 34% of 12-15s who go online agreed that they find it easier to be themselves online than when they are with people face to face. This is supported by academic research which finds that internet communication may be especially advantageous for shy or socially marginalized children, enabling them to practice social skills without the risks associated with face-to-face interactions.[4]
3.10 In 2015 nearly a quarter of 8-11s who went online (23%) and three-quarters of 12-15s (76%) had a social media profile. The numbers were lower for younger children: 2% of parents of 3-4s and 3% of parents of 5-7s who go online said their child had a social media profile. The qualitative research found that while social media does bring risks (see below), the social interaction it offers was highly valued by the children and social media profiles were used as a way of expressing and developing the children’s identities.
Risks
3.11 Children’s attitudes to, and understanding of, the concept of risk, and how it relates to the benefits they perceive of being online, change as they grow. A summary of children’s attitudes to risk as they develop, produced as part of Ofcom’s support of the UKCCIS working group on social media[5], is attached at Annex 1.
3.12 The online risks faced by children in our research include exposure to potentially harmful content and risks created by online contact. In addition, the complexity of the online environment makes it more difficult for children to develop critical understanding.
Potentially harmful content: parents’ concerns
3.13 In 2015, 25% of parents of children aged 5-15 who go online were concerned about the content of the websites their child visits (25%). Twenty three per cent were concerned about their child seeing content online that encourages them to harm themselves (23%).
3.14 In our qualitative research the range of content that concerned parents was broad and included: violence; sexually explicit content; swearing; horror films and other ‘scary’ content; content that presented ideas and topics they didn’t want their children to know about yet, for instance war or death; and content which might encourage emulation of risky behaviour.
Potentially harmful content: children’s concerns and experiences
3.15 In 2015 12% of 8-11s and 8% of 12-15s who go online said they dislike seeing things that are too old for them and the same proportions said they dislike seeing things that made them feel sad, frightened or embarrassed. When we combine these two categories 19% of 8-11s and 13% of 12-15s said they disliked at least one of these.
3.16 In 2015 11% of 8-11s who go online, and 16% of 12-15s, said they had seen something that was worrying, nasty or offensive in the last year.
3.17 In 2015 both 8-11s and 12-15s were most likely to cite their parents, along with other family members, as the people they would tell if they saw something online that they found worrying, nasty or offensive (88% of 8-11s and 78% of 12-15s). For 8-11s this is followed by a teacher (18%) and for 12-15s by a friend (28%). However, the number of 8-11s who said they would not tell anyone if they saw this kind of content went up between 2014 and 2015, from 2% to 5%.
Potentially harmful contact: parents’ concerns
3.18 The internet enables contact with known and unknown people which may expose children to harm, either as recipients of abusive messages (cyberbullying) or in allowing them to communicate or share information with unknown people, including adults who may seek to harm them (online grooming).
3.19 In 2015, 32% of parents of children aged 5-15s whose child goes online said they were concerned about their child giving out personal details online to inappropriate people and 21% were concerned about whom their child may be in contact with online. Twenty eight per cent were concerned about cyberbullying and 20% were concerned about their child sharing inappropriate or personal photos or videos with others online.
Potentially harmful contact: children’s concerns and experiences
3.20 In 2015, fewer than one in ten 12-15s (7%) said they had added people as ‘friends’ to address lists or contact lists whom they have only had contact with online, unchanged since 2014.
3.21 In 2015, 4% of 12-15s had sent a photo or video of themselves to someone they’d only had contact with online, unchanged since 2014. A few of the participants in the qualitative research also knew of situations where girls had sent nude or revealing photos of themselves to others at school, but none had been involved themselves.
3.22 In 2015 we asked a new question about contact via online games. Four per cent of 8-11s and 15% of 12-15s say they chat with people they don’t know when playing games online. This can be via text or using a headset. Four per cent of all 8-11s and 7% of 12-15s have experienced somebody being mean, rude or abusive to them, and 2% of 8-11s and 1% of 12-15s say they have been upset by this.
3.23 Our qualitative research found that social interaction in games was mostly between real-life friends. Children showed little interest in talking to strangers online. For those that did, the conversation was typically about the game itself. In-game etiquette discouraged conversations straying into more personal territory.
3.24 Our quantitative research found that 9% of 8-11s and 12-15s in 2015 said they had been bullied in the past year. This was most likely to have been in person, with 6% of both 8-11s and 12-15s saying they had experienced this. Bullying via text message or on social media was less common, with 1% of 8-11s saying they had experienced each of these kinds of bullying, rising to 4% of 12-15s. Two per cent of 8-11s and 1% of 12-15s said they have been bullied through online games, and 1% of 12-15s via photo message or video, or via telephone calls[6].
3.25 However, our qualitative research suggests that children are often subject to abuse and peer pressure on social media and via mobile phones, but are unlikely to call this bullying. For instance, several children reported receiving rude, insulting or racist comments on their social media profiles or as a result of ‘selfies’ they had posted, but downplayed these incidents, insisting they were not bothered by them.
3.26 The high levels of use of social media for contact with friends and peers also had some downsides. The girls in the research felt considerable image-pressure around their online presence, while among some of the boys there was a perceived need to ‘act tough’, exacerbated by a tendency to use large group-chat functions on social media (e.g. Facebook messenger, WhatsApp), the more removed nature of which gave boys more confidence to test boundaries and ‘show off’ among their friends.
Critical understanding
3.27 Critical understanding is a way of describing the skills and knowledge children need to understand, question and manage their media environment. This is important if they are to get the benefits it has to offer, and avoid the risks. Critical understanding covers a wide range of knowledge and skills. The following measures provide an indication of the ways in which the complexity of the online environment can make exercising critical understanding difficult for children.
3.28 Children are more likely than in 2014 to think that various kinds of online information are “always true”. Between 2014 and 2015 the numbers of 8-11s and 12-15s who visit news websites or apps and who answered that all the information on these sites is true increased (23% vs. 12% for 8-11s and 14% vs. 8% for 12-15s). There was also an increase in the number of 8-11s who say this for sites used for used for school work or homework (28% vs. 20%) and among 12-15s, who say this for social media sites or apps (9% vs. 4%).
3.29 Less than one in six 8-11s and a third of 12-15s in 2015 were able to correctly identify advertising displayed in online search results. In 2015, children aged 8-15 who used search engine websites were shown a picture of the results returned by Google for an online search for ‘trainers’. Their attention was drawn to the first two results at the top of the list, which were distinguished by an orange box with the word ‘Ad’ written in it. Despite this labelling, only a minority of 8-11s (16%) and 12-15s (31%) correctly identified these sponsored links as advertising.
3.30 Less than half of 12-15s who go online in 2015 were aware of paid endorsements by vloggers (47%) or personalised advertising (45%).
Children’s understanding of risk
3.31 Children’s critical understanding skills are also related to their ability to understand online safety messages. Our qualitative research found that the children in the sample could repeat the safety messages learned from school and parents and explain what they were and were not supposed to do online. However, they did not always understand the reasons behind those messages. This meant they did not apply them consistently in different circumstances or contexts.
Section 4
Parents’ approach to mediation
4.1 Parents have an important role to play in helping to manage the risks of children’s internet use. Our research provides details on the ways in which parents are mediating this use.
Parents’ confidence in managing their children’s internet access
4.2 In 2015, 80% of parents of 3-4s and 76% of parents of 5-15s who go online agreed that they know enough to help their child to manage online risks.
4.3 However, between 2014 and 2015 there was a decrease in the number of parents who said they trust their child to use the internet safely, from 56% to 44% among parents of 3-4s and from 83% to 78% among parents of 5-15s.
Parental mediation of their child’s internet access
4.4 In 2015 more than half of parents of 3-4s (58%) and 75% of parents of 5-15s who go online said they had looked for or received information or advice about how to help their child manage online risks, an increase from 48% for 3-4s and 70% for 5-15s in 2014. The most common sources of information, among parents of 5-15s, are the child’s school (53%), followed by friends or family (40%).
4.5 Over nine in ten parents in 2015 mediated their child’s use of the internet in some way, using a combination of approaches including:
- using technical tools;
- regularly talking to their children about managing online risks;
- supervising their child; and/or
- having rules (about access to the internet and/or behaviour while online).
4.6 The majority of parents whose child went online at home or elsewhere (96% of parents of 3-4s and 94% of parents of 5-15s) used at least one of these approaches; 18% of parents of 3-4s and 38% of parents of 12-15s used all four. A very small minority of parents (4% of 3-4s and 6% of 5-15s) did not mediate their child’s internet use in any of the ways mentioned above, rising to 12% for parents of 12-15s.
4.7 The technical tools asked about in the research included:
- Content filters in the form of home network-level filtering, provided by the broadband internet service provider (e.g. BT, TalkTalk, Sky and Virgin Media) which apply to all the computers and other devices using the home broadband service.
- Content filters in the form of parental control software set up on a particular computer or device used to go online (e.g. Net Nanny, McAfee Family Protection, Open DNS FamilyShield). This software may be from a shop, the manufacturer or the internet service provider.
- Parental controls built into the device by the manufacturer – e.g. Windows, Apple, Xbox, PlayStation etc.
- PINs/ passwords required to enter websites, unless already approved.
- Safe search enabled on search engine websites, e.g. Google.
- YouTube safety mode enabled to filter inappropriate content.
- Software that limits the amount of time spent online.
- Software to protect against junk email/ spam or computer viruses.
More than half of parents of 3-4s (56%) or 5-15s (57%) use any of these eight tools, with use lower among parents of 12-15s (50%) compared to 5-7s (62%) or 8-11s (61%).
4.8 In 2015 the most widely used of these tools were: PIN/password controls; content filters provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP); and parental control software set up on a particular computer or device (Figure 1.3).
Figure 1.3 Use and awareness of technical tools among parents of 5-15s who have home broadband and whose child goes online: 2014, 2015
4.9 Among parents without technical tools in place, the top three reasons for not using each are consistent: around half of parents of children aged 5-15 prefer to talk to their children and use other methods of mediation; four in ten say they trust their child to be sensible/ responsible; and around two in ten parents say it is because their child is always supervised or there is always an adult present.
Awareness and take-up of content filters
4.10 Use of content filters provided by the ISP is of particular interest, given the recent joint initiative between government and the major UK ISPs to offer network-level home broadband filtering, also known as family friendly filtering, to all their customers (discussed in more detail in section 5, below).
4.11 Our research shows that awareness and use of home network-level content filters provided by ISPs increased among parents of children aged 5-15s between 2014 and 2015 (see Figure 1.3, above). Among parents of 5-15s with home broadband, whose child goes online, awareness increased from 50% to 57% and use increased from 21% to 26%. There was no change in awareness or use for parents of 3-4s, 65% of whom were aware and 25% of whom used (not charted).
4.12 Parents were also more likely in 2015 than in 2014 to say these tools were useful. Almost all parents of 5-15s who used ISP network-level filters thought they were useful (97%), an increase since 2014 (93%), and about three-quarters thought that they block the right amount of content (77%).
Section 5
Ofcom’s participation in initiatives to manage online risks
5.1 Ofcom has recently participated in two initiatives to address specific online risks: monitoring the roll-out of family-friendly network-level filtering and chairing the UKCCIS social media working group, providing guidance for creators of interactive services for children. This section provides a summary of these two initiatives.
Family-friendly network-level filtering
5.2 On 22 July 2013 the then Prime Minister announced an agreement that the four major Internet Service Providers in the UK (BT, Talk Talk, Sky and Virgin Media, or the ISPs) had agreed to offer family-friendly network level filtering to all new customers by the end of December 2013 and to all existing customers by the end of December 2014. The ISPs made a commitment to offer an “unavoidable choice” to all customers as to whether to implement family-friendly network-level filtering.
5.3 In his speech the Prime Minister also asked Ofcom to report on the roll out of the filtering by the ISPs. We did this in a series of reports from January 2014 to December 2015[7].
What is network-level filtering?
5.4 Filters block access to websites and internet services which raise potential concern, or pose a risk of harm to children. Every filter:
- categorises content according to specific editorial criteria; and
- restricts access to content in the desired categories.
5.5 Network level filtering goes beyond device level blocking. Device level blocking, where content is blocked on the basis of software on an individual’s computer, has been available from the ISPs for some time. Network level filtering is intended to cover all devices in the home in one go, using the home’s internet connection provided by the ISPs. Further details are available at Annex 2.
5.6 The ISPs committed to offering this to their customers through a series of measures and communications between 2013 and 2015. They confirmed that their network level filtering would cover websites and any other internet services using standard http protocols and ports. BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk acknowledged that many mobile apps would not be covered by their filtering services, while Sky indicated that its filter would cover some apps as well as web browsing. Details of the editorial categories blocked are included in Annex 2.
How have customers responded to the roll out of network level filtering?
5.7 The roll out was in two phases, the first was to all new customers joining the ISPs after 2013, and the second to existing customers. The Government set deadlines for those two rollouts, for new customers by the end of 2013, and existing customers by the end of 2014.
5.8 By the end of June 2015 take up of family friendly network-level filtering among both new and existing customers stood at the following levels, as reported by the ISPs[8].
- BT: 6%
- Sky: 30-40%
- Talk Talk: 14%
- Virgin Media: 12.4%
5.9 The ISPs continue to offer family friendly network-level filtering to both new and existing customers.
Potential limitations of network-level filtering
5.10 There are a number of potential limitations to the use of family-friendly, network-level filters, including:
- they cover content but don’t address the risks of online contact, so children may still be at risk from grooming and from online bullying and peer pressure;
- they cover children when online via their home Wi-Fi network, but not when children are accessing the internet via 3G and 4G (although in this case they may be covered by the MNO’s filters, which are default on so are likely to be on the majority of phones used by children), via public Wi-Fi or via potentially unprotected wireless networks at friends’ houses;
- some children could get round the filters, although this is technically complicated and the numbers in our research who say they know how to do this or have done this are low: 10% of 12-15s said they knew how to unset filters or controls to use certain websites in 2015 and 1% said they had done this; 6% said they knew how to use a proxy server to access certain sites or apps and 1% said they had done this; and
- there may be over or under blocking of certain sites.
5.11 As a result of these potential limitations Ofcom also encourages parents to talk to their children about the risks. Our research showed that in 2015 one in four parents of online 3-4s (25%) and 65% of parents of 5-15s said they talk to their child at least every few months about managing online risks.
The UKCCIS guide to Child Safety Online for providers of Social Media and Interactive Services
5.12 Ofcom is a member of the Executive Board of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), which brings together government, industry, law enforcement, academia and charities, working in partnership to help keep children and young people safe online.
5.13 In December 2014, government asked Ofcom to Chair the UKCCIS Social Media Working Group to refresh the existing UKCCIS policy and good practice guidance for social networking providers. Ofcom engaged with stakeholders from the UKCCIS Board, the wider social media industry, academia and the voluntary sector to produce a practical guide.
5.14 The guide is based on six key areas identified by the ICT Coalition, a European Policy body focused on child safety online, and on UKCCIS members’ existing best practice.
5.15 To accompany the guide the working group is supporting a 12 month outreach plan targeted at smaller and start-up social media companies to promote a culture in the online content industry of “safety by design”.
The Guide
5.16 The Guide sets out research evidence on children’s vulnerability online to risks, and the business case for protecting users and brands from damaging online content. It is published on the UKCCIS website[9] and contains detailed advice on:
- Managing content: helping services understand if their content is suitable for their target age range, and if not how to limit access to content with age verification and identity authentication solutions.
- Parental controls: making sure parental controls are easy to use and understanding how parental controls on other devices or services might interact with their website or app.
- Dealing with abuse/misuse: covering the setting and enforcing of community standards, through rules and reporting.
4. Dealing with child sexual abuse content and illegal contact: drafted in conjunction with CEOP and the IWF, this provides advice on creating a standardised function for users to report this kind of content, and using a specialist team to review and escalate material to the appropriate channels for investigation.
5. Privacy and controls: drafted in conjunction with the Information Commissioner’s Office, this focuses on the privacy needs of children and advises on limiting how much data is collected and published and ensuring informed parental consent is obtained for younger children to help avoid bullying and grooming.
6. Education and awareness: encourages services to educate users about safety as part of the experience on their platform.
Section 6
Ofcom’s role in regulating video-on-demand
6.1 The UK has long sought to restrict access for children to types of content which it considers may be harmful to children. In addition to Ofcom’s responsibilities around broadcast television and radio content, Ofcom also has regulatory duties relating to certain kinds of online content, notably adult content and hate speech on notified video-on-demand services. These are set out below.
Video-on-demand content
6.2 The Communications Act 2003 Part 4A makes provisions for the regulation of UK-based on-demand programme services (ODPS), often known as video-on-demand services, available online. This regulation does not cover all video-on-demand services, but only those ODPS whose principal purpose is the provision of programmes, the form and content of which are comparable to programmes normally included in television services, and which meet other criteria set.
6.3 Ofcom regulates all non-advertising content[10] on ODPS. All ODPS must ensure certain minimum standards are met, including rules that, “if an on-demand programme service contains material which might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of persons under the age of eighteen, the material must be made available in a manner which secures that such persons will not normally see or hear it”.
Restricted material
6.4 Ofcom has always adopted a precautionary approach to its interpretation of the wording of the Act and included R18[11] material (or material equivalent to content classified in that category) as “material that might seriously impair” and ensured that it must be held behind access controls to prevent minors from accessing it.
6.5 This approach was confirmed by the Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014[12] which termed such content specially restricted material, and described this as any material that in video form has, or would, receive an R18 certificate, and any other material that might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of people under the age of 18.
Prohibited material
6.6 The regulations also introduced a duty for the regulator to ensure that ODPS do not contain any prohibited material.
6.7 Prohibited material means any material which has been rejected for classification by the video works authority (in the UK’s case, the BBFC) in a video form, or that would be rejected for classification if it were submitted in video form.
6.8 All material on ODPS, including still images and other non-video content, is subject to these requirements. The rules for specially restricted and prohibited content are published in Ofcom’s Rules and Guidance [13] under Rules 11 and 14.
Content access controls
6.9 Ofcom’s interpretation of the requirement that people aged under 18 ‘will not normally see or hear’ such material is that for all specially restricted material there should be in place an effective Content Access Control System (“CAC System”) which verifies that the user is aged 18 or over at the point of registration or access, by the mandatory use of technical tools for age verification. Each time a user returns to the service, they will either be required to recomplete the age verification process or use an alternative security control such as a PIN or a password.
6.10 Ofcom issues guidance on which technical tools may be acceptable for age verification purposes including:
- Confirmation of credit card ownership or other form of payment where mandatory proof that the holder is 18 or over is required before issue.
- A reputable personal digital identity management service which uses checks on an independent and reliable database, such as the electoral roll.
- Other comparable proof of account ownership which effectively verifies age. For example, possession and ownership of an effectively age-verified mobile phone[14]. Ofcom does not regard confirmation of ownership of a Debit, Solo or Electron card or any other card where the card holder is not required to be 18 or over to be sufficient verification.
Enforcement
6.11 If Ofcom records a breach or breaches of the Rules, it may consider that the breach justifies consideration of the imposition of a statutory sanction[15] on the ODPS provider.
6.12 As material on an ODPS will often remain available for viewing on-demand for a long period, there may be an ongoing risk of harm where material remains available which potentially involves incitement to hatred based on sex, religion or nationality, or involves potential harm to children. In such circumstances, Ofcom will expedite its processes to ensure prompt compliance.
6.13 Ofcom has imposed financial penalties on the services ‘Playboy TV’[16], ‘Demand Adult’[17] and ‘Strictly Broadband’[18] after these services provided R18 equivalent material without adequate measures in place to ensure that those under 18 would not normally see or hear it.
UK Commercial Broadcasters Association Voluntary initiatives
6.14 In 2015 the UK Commercial Broadcasters Association (COBA) issued a statement indicating that all its signatory members would ensure that the ‘catch-up’ video on demand content they provide through television platforms meets the same or comparable child protection standards as for their broadcast services. As this content is largely identical to the on demand content they provide on their own websites, COBA signatories have effectively reproduced the broadcasting standards parents have become accustomed to for their online on demand content. This is a voluntary initiative, above and beyond the requirements of the legislation, which Ofcom welcomes.
Annex 1
How children and their attitude to risks evolve throughout childhood
Below is a summary of information produced through UKCCIS working group on Social Media on the development of children from 3-18: how they see themselves, their priorities, their behaviour online and their attitude towards risk (Source: Dr. Angharad Rudkin, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, University of Southampton).
3-5 year olds
Overall development:
- They can put themselves in others’ shoes, but they are still quite fooled by appearances.
- Beginning to learn that there are social rules to follow.
- Starting to build up friendships but peer pressure remains low.
Key online activities
- Entertainment, particularly games and TV.
Attitudes to risk
- They may be unaware of risks.
6-9 year olds
Overall development
- Play is mainly pretend/role-play, moving towards greater rule-based reality play.
- Becoming socially more sophisticated; the need to fit in and be accepted by the peer group becomes more important
- Learning how to manage their thinking and their emotions. Learning about the complexities of relationships; if they can’t manage these it can lead to alienation, bullying and loneliness.
- At around 7, they undergo a significant shift in thinking to more order and logic.
- They are now frequent users of the internet but with limited information on staying safe online, which may make them vulnerable.
Key online activities
- Entertainment and fun – games, films, TV, video.
- Communications largely with family only.
Attitudes to risk
- Largely compliant with messages from school/home – although if risks aren’t explained clearly, they imagine their own explanations.
10-13 year olds
Overall development
- Moving towards more adult ways of thinking but still not making decisions the way adults would.
- Very aware of social pressure and expectations; will change aspects of themselves in order to fit in and be accepted by peers.
- Friends are becoming more important.
- More aware of what’s ‘cool’ or not, including brands.
- Girls show a decrease in self-esteem as they compare themselves to others around them.
Key online activities
- Communications with friends; games (for boys), gossip, TV/films, shopping.
- Open communication across a range of sites.
- Visual communication becomes key.
- Development and honing of self-image.
Attitudes to risk
- Developmentally, the strong desire for immediate rewards triggers risk-taking behaviour.
14-18 year olds
Overall development
- Underdoing significant neuro-psychological changes, leading to differences in the way they perceive emotions and make decisions.
- Developments in the pre-frontal cortex may contribute to the increase in risk-taking behaviour seen during adolescence.
- Mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression can intensify.
- Still have difficulties realising that others can have a different perspective, so may find it hard to work out interpersonal problems.
- Adolescence is a time characterised by idealism, with a tendency towards all-or-nothing thinking.
- Highly dependent on peers for a sense of wellbeing.
- They need to feel as if they are part of a group – yet also want to be viewed as unique.
- Can appear to shun adult influence but still require clear boundaries and support from parents and teachers.
Key online activities
- Communications with friends; games (for boys), gossip, TV/films, shopping.
- Open communication across a range of sites.
- Visual communication now vital and the ‘currency’ of likes and ratings is very important.
Attitudes to risk
- More settled within peer groups.
- Beginning to get better at the risk/reward equation.
Annex 2
How network level filtering works
Generally, filters block sites in specific editorial categories by identifying the locations of potentially undesired content either through the site’s web addresses (URLs) or domain name. Certain sites, such as sites run by charities relating to child safety and sexual health, are whitelisted, and cannot be blocked[19].
The table below summarises the different editorial filtering categories offered by the ISPs. Each ISP allows their filtering categories to be customised by users.
Content | BT | Sky | TalkTalk | Virgin |
Alcohol | | X | | X |
Crime, violence and hate | | | | |
Dating | | | | |
Drugs | | | | |
File sharing | | | | |
Gambling | | X | | |
Games | | | | |
Hacking | | | | |
Nudity | | X | X | |
Pornography | | | | |
Sexual education | | X | X | X |
Social networking | | | | |
Suicide and self-harm | | | | |
| X | | X |
August 2016
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