Understanding Pathways to Online Violent Content Among Children

Ofcom has recently published FK&Y’s report ‘Understanding Pathways to Online Violent Content Among Children’.

Family Kids and Youth (FK&Y) was commissioned by Ofcom to conduct research to explore the pathways through which children encounter violent content online. The research consisted of two focus groups with professionals (including teachers, specialists who work with vulnerable children, and youth workers), 15 in-school workshops with a total of 232 children aged 8 to 17 from across the UK, and 15 in-depth interviews with children aged 12-16 identified as having had direct experience of violent content. The research was carried out between May and November 2023.

Key findings include:

• Children first see violent content while still at primary school and describe it as an inevitable art of being online.
• Children describe violent content as ‘unavoidable’ online.
• Teenagers 13-15, especially boys, are more likely to share violent content to fit in with peers.
• Recommender algorithms and group messaging fuel exposure.
• Children’s willingness to report harmful content undermined by lack of trust in the process.