PUBLICATIONS: Ofcom report 2013 ‘Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes’

Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, has recently published its 2013 'Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes' report. The report provides detailed evidence on media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged 5-15. For the first time it also provides detailed information about access to, and use of, media among 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 to monitor or limit such use.

Among the report's findings are:

• There has been a decline in the number of 5–15 year olds owning a mobile phone.
• The use of tablet computers at home has tripled among 5-15 year olds since last year.
• Children's preference for internet-enabled devices reflects changes in how and why they are going online.
• For the first time there has been a decrease in the number of children with social networking profiles.
• Most parents of 5-15 year olds say that they know enough to keep their child safe online; but around half of parents feel that their child knows more about the internet than they do.
  

Read the full report on the Ofcom website.

Source: www.saferinternet.org

ARTICLES: Average teenager has never met quarter of Facebook friends (UK)

The average 12- to 15-year-old has never met one in four of their "friends" on social networking websites such as Facebook, according to new research.

Telecoms and media regulator Ofcom's annual Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report also found that teenage girls are the UK's texting champions, sending more than 220 a week – a third more than boys.

The regulator's latest research revealed that 12- to 15-year-olds on average spend 17 hours a week on the internet, matching TV viewing for the first time, and that potentially well over a third of three- and four-year-olds use the internet for TV and games.

More than 40% of five- to 15-year-olds who have internet access have a social networking profile, rising to 80% among 12- to 15-year-olds.

The latter age group has an average of 286 online friends and 93% of them claim they are confident they know about online safety.

full article on The Guardian website

STUDIES / REPORTS: Ofcom publishes its latest research on media literacy

A recent press release from Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communication industries, presents findings from its latest research on media literacy.

Half of parents (48 per cent) with children aged 5-15 who use the internet at home think they know less about the internet than their children do. This rises to 70 per cent of parents of 12-15 year olds.

At the same time, there has been increased online activity among children in the past year, including higher usage of mobile and games consoles to go online. Around one fifth (18 per cent) of 5-15 year olds own a smartphone, and 16 per cent go online via a games console. However, among 12-15 year olds this rises to over one third (35 per cent) owning a smartphone and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) going online via a games console. Forty one per cent of this age group now access the internet in their bedroom, up from 31 per cent in 2009.

Parents appear to be less concerned about how their children use the internet. They are less likely to say they have internet parental controls set – 37 per cent in 2010 compared to 43 per cent in 2009. Those that don’t have parental controls mainly say it’s either because they trust their child or because they are supervising them.

The findings form part of Ofcom’s media literacy reports, which focus on the safe and informed use and understanding of digital content among UK adults and children.

For further information see the full press release. The full findings are available in two research reports: ‘UK children’s media literacy’ and ‘UK adults’ media literacy’, available to download from the Ofcom website. Ofcom has also published a consumer guide, ‘Managing your media in a digital world’, to help parents understand some of the issues raised by the research.

source

NEWS / IT: Vodafone launches Digital Parenting magazine (UK)

Vodafone has published a new magazine called ‘Digital Parenting’ to help parents get to grips and get involved with their children’s digital world.

The magazine brings together experts from around the world to give parents the latest advice on digital issues, such as online reputation, location services, sexting, cyberbullying and illegal content. Parents, teenagers and grandparents also share their personal experiences and a series of ‘How to...’ tutorials guide parents through the safety and privacy controls on Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Vodafone.

“With so many parents telling us that they sometimes feel baffled by their children’s digital world, we decided to take a new approach,” comments Annie Mullins OBE, Global Head of Content Standards at Vodafone. “Our website already offers comprehensive advice about the digital issues affecting young people but some parents
still prefer paper-based information. Whatever their level of experience and expertise, this magazine will help parents to keep up with digital technologies and stay in control.”

Digital Parenting is available in hard copy and online on the Vodafone Parents’ Guide website. Free copies are being distributed to parenting groups, local education authorities and other relevant organisations. To order a copy of the magazine, please email publications@parentfocus.co.uk.

Source: Ofcom Media Literacy Bulletin Issue 39

ARTICLES / RESEARCH: UK youth culture squeezes 9 hours of media into 7 hours of the day

The UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) which regulates more or less all communications in the UK has put together a 379 page report, its largest to date, on the habits of UK consumers. It has automatically gone for the headlines by talking about the indecent amount of time we all spend consuming media from consumer electronics devices from the TV to radio, broadband, telecoms through to our cellular handset.

But underneath the hype and the drama of a nation that spends 45% of its waking hours with their head immersed in such a device, there are many interesting factoids to the report, which can be downloaded as a pdf from the Ofcom site.

full article and more info

STUDIES / RESEARCH: Ofcom’s annual Children’s Media Literacy Audit 2010 (UK)

A quarter of children aged 8-12 who use the internet at home say they have a profile on Facebook, Bebo or MySpace, new Ofcom research revealed today. These sites have a minimum user age of 13.

But 83 per cent of these children have their profile set so that it can only be seen by friends, and 4 per cent have a profile that can't be seen. Nine in ten parents of these children who are aware that their child visits social networking sites (93 per cent) also say that they check what their child is doing on these types of sites. However one in six (17 per cent) parents of this group are not aware that their child visits social networking sites.

Ofcom's annual Children's Media Literacy Audit provides an overview of media literacy among children and young people and their parents and carers.

The full news release can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2010/03/nr_20100326a

The full Children's Media Literacy audit can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/medlitpubrss/ukchildrensml/

PUBLICATIONS: Ofcom e-bulletin Media Literacy - Feb 2010

- UKCCIS launches ‘Click Clever Click Safe’ campaign
- Ofsted reports students are safest using the internet when trusted to manage their own risk
- Empowering children and young people in a digital world: 2010
- Digital Unite launches BeGrand.net sites for grandparents
- Hold an event for Adult Learners’ Week 2010
- Has your child met Lee and Kim yet? New Quick Reads e-books launched
- Research on the role of public libraries in supporting digital participation
- YouTube launches ‘safety mode’
- Research says 'If your kids are awake, they're probably online'
- Media Trust seeking applications for community voices grants

Read the full e-bulletin

NEWS / PUBLICATIONS: Ofcom Media Literacy e-bulletin 12/2009

Ofcom Media Literacy Bulletin Issue 28 - December 2009 issue

As we approach the end of the year, it gives us an opportunity to look back on a busy 12 months for everybody involved in media literacy. It has been an incredibly productive year, and even as 2009 draws to a close this activity shows no sign of abating.

In the last month alone we have seen the publication of Professor David Buckingham's report into the impact of the commercial world on children's wellbeing, as well as the launch of the UKCCIS child internet safety strategy.

You can read more about these significant developments in this issue of the bulletin, along with other news items and details of forthcoming campaigns and newly-published research. There's also our Nations round-up and dates for your diary, which we hope you find useful.

All that's left for us to do is to wish you the very best for the festive season and best wishes for what promises to be an equally busy 2010.

The Media Literacy Team at Ofcom.

full bulletin in PDF

NEWS: Ofcom Media Literacy e-Bulletin Nov 2009

Media Literacy e-Bulletin

This month’s Media Literacy e-Bulletin features news on the Get Safe Online Summit and NIACE’s conference on digital participation. It also includes information on anti-bullying resources and safety advice for online shoppers. The media literacy e-Bulletin can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/bulletins/issue27/

PUBLICATIONS: Ofcom Media Literacy e-bulletin Oct 2009

Download the October issue

NEWS / CHILDREN'S TV: Ofcom to ban product placement in children's TV shows from December (UK)

No product placement will be allowed in programmes aimed at under-16s, including US imports

Ofcom is warning all children's TV broadcasters and producers that after December this year no product placement will be allowed in any programmes aimed at under-16s, including those imported from the US.

The crackdown, which will be written into the Ofcom broadcast code, follows the implementation of the new Europe-wide Audio Visual & Media Services directive, and applies to all new programmes broadcast in the UK that are made and broadcast after 19 December.

full article

PUBLICATIONS: OFCOM Media Literacy Bulletin Issue 25

The latest Media Literacy Bulletin (Issue 25) from OFCOM is online at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/bulletins/issue25/