How much time do children spend online in the UK? What platforms do they use, and what content do they encounter? We analyzed the latest Ofcom data to answer the questions about children's internet usage in Britain.
Time Spent Online
How Much Time Do Children Spend Online in the UK? (2025)
Children aged 8-14 in the UK spend an average of nearly 3 hours online each day. This excludes time on games consoles and only counts smartphones, tablets, and computers.
13-14 year olds spend 4 hours online daily. 8-9 year olds spend around 2 hours.
Online time increases significantly as children get older, with teenagers spending double the time of younger children.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
What Platforms Do Children Use Most? (2025)
Snapchat and YouTube combined account for 52% of children's online time, totalling 1 hour 32 minutes per day for 8-14 year olds.
YouTube average time for 8-14 year olds is 48 minutes per day. Snapchat average time is 45 minutes per day.
YouTube is used by 96% of 8-14 year olds, and Google Search is used by 95%. Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok all rank in the top 10 services used by this age group.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Are Children Online Late at Night? (2025)
15-24% of children's time on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and WhatsApp occurs between 9pm and 5am.
4-10% of children's time on these platforms is late night, between 11pm and 5am.
I see significant late-night device usage among children, which raises questions about sleep quality and parental monitoring.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Social Media Usage
How Many Children Use Social Media in the UK? (2025)
96% of 13-17 year olds in the UK use social media apps.
55% of children aged 3-12 are reported to use social media apps, despite most platforms having age restrictions.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Do Children Lie About Their Age on Social Media? (2024)
22% of 8-17 year olds have a user age of 18 or over on a social media platform. Among 8-15 year olds specifically, 20% have a user age of 18 or over.
More children are being asked to verify their date of birth compared to September 2023. On Facebook, 25% were asked to verify in August 2024, up from 10% the previous year.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
AI & Technology
How Many Children Use AI in the UK? (2024)
54% of British online children aged 8-15 used a generative AI tool in the past year. 29% used AI in the past month.
66% of teens aged 13-15 used AI in the past year, compared to 46% of children aged 8-12.
37% of online 8-15 year olds used ChatGPT in the past year. 30% used Snapchat My AI.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
What Do Children Use AI For? (2024)
63% of children aged 8-15 who use generative AI do so for fun. 53% use it to help with schoolwork.
34% of generative AI users aged 8-15 trust information from AI as reliable. 46% of children aged 8-15 are worried about the future impact of generative AI.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Gaming
How Many Children Play Games in the UK? (2024)
90% of 3-15 year olds in the UK play games on devices, either online or offline.
23% of 3-4 year olds game online, up 5 percentage points from 2023. 41% of 5-7 year olds game online, up 7 percentage points from 2023.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Popular Is Roblox in the UK? (2024)
Roblox average time spent is 20 minutes 53 seconds per day, up from 14 minutes 53 seconds in 2023.
Roblox reached 5% of UK online adults (2.4 million), though it is primarily popular among children. The Roblox app reached 1.90 million adults in May 2024, up from 1.63 million in May 2023.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Wellbeing & Happiness
Are Children Happy With Their Online Experience? (2025)
91% of children aged 8-17 say they are happy with the things they do online.
Boys are more likely than girls to say they are always happy online, at 47% versus 40%.
81% of children aged 8-17 are happy that content is appropriate for their age, but only 31% say they are always happy with age-appropriate content.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
How Does Being Online Affect Children's Wellbeing? (2025)
56% of children feel that being online has had a mostly good effect on how they feel about themselves. Only 3% feel it has had a mostly bad effect.
34% of children feel being online has had a mix of good and bad effects.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Do Children Use the Internet for Wellbeing? (2025)
69% of children aged 13-17 use online services for wellbeing. 45% use the internet to help them relax, and 32% use it to improve their mood.
Girls are more likely than boys to use websites or apps for wellbeing, at 74% versus 65%.
75% of children used ASMR or self-improvement content. 53% used ASMR specifically to help them relax.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Learning & Education
How Do Children Use the Internet for Learning? (2025)
78% of 13-17 year olds use the internet for schoolwork and homework.
55% of 13-17 year olds use the internet to learn a new skill. 46% use it to develop creative skills, with girls more likely than boys at 53% versus 40%.
40% use online resources to develop skills with reading and numbers.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Do Children Use the Internet for News and Social Issues? (2025)
45% of 13-17 year olds use the internet to find out about news.
41% use the internet to understand what other people think and feel. Girls are more likely than boys, at 45% versus 38%.
22% of 13-17 year olds use online resources to find out about and support causes, with girls more likely than boys at 26% versus 19%.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Online Harms
What Harmful Content Do Children Encounter Online? (2025)
70% of children aged 8-17 have seen or heard Priority Content online, meaning content that could be potentially harmful.
41% have seen only Priority Content. 29% have seen both Priority Content and Primary Priority Content, the most serious category. Only 30% have not seen any Priority Content.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
What Types of Harm Do Children Encounter Most? (2025)
58% of children encountered bullying content online, making it the most common harmful content type.
49% encountered hate content. 30% encountered dangerous stunts or challenges that could seriously hurt. 28% encountered content encouraging them to eat, drink, or inhale harmful things.
13% encountered suicide or self-harm content, which falls into the Primary Priority Content category. 11% encountered pornography.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Where Do Children Encounter Online Harm? (2024)
Children aged 13-17 are most likely to encounter harm on TikTok at 22%, followed by YouTube at 13%.
Teen boys are more likely to encounter dangerous stunts, at 29% versus 19% for girls. Teen girls are more likely to encounter body-stigmatising content, at 25% versus 11% for boys.
Teen exposure to generally offensive language decreased from 47% in June 2023 to 35% in June 2024.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
- [Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2025/online-nations-report-2025.pdf)
- [Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2024/online-nation-2024-report.pdf)
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