Research, statistics and data

Social media is a significant aspect of daily life for most of us. Almost all adult internet users use some form of online communication platform.

The new Online Safety Act (OSA) and existing VSP regulation place duties on relevant online services to protect their users from illegal content and children from certain harmful content.

We wanted to find out if behavioural techniques could be used to increase the number of users accessing online terms and conditions (T&Cs). And does accessing T&Cs actually make a difference to how people behave online?

This is a discussion paper by Ofcom’s Behavioural Insight Hub that presents research aimed at understanding the user relationships with social media T&Cs, specifically Community Guidelines.

This online trial tested different ways to encourage children to access age-appropriate user support materials (or help centre) during the sign-up process of a mock social media platform.

This discussion paper covers two online experiments run by Ofcom’s Behavioural Insight Hub that tested how platform choice architecture affects use of content controls among adult users.

This research was designed to better understand the experiences of and attitudes towards reporting among children who use social media and/or video-sharing platforms.

This review builds Ofcom's understanding of children and young people's development stages, and how this interacts with their online decision making and behaviour.

Research to understand to what extend children are bypassing age assurance measures.

Ofcom's areas of interest for future research in the online safety space.

This research explores the pathways through which children encounter violent content online, the impact this can have, and perceptions and use of safety measures.

This research explores the pathways through which children encounter content related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, the impact this can have, and perceptions of safety measures.

This research explores the pathways through which children are exposed to cyberbullying, the impact this can have, and perceptions of what works to address cyberbullying.

Understanding people's experiences of encountering fraud and scams on landlines, mobile phones, apps and other online channels.

A study on the prevalence of non-suicidal self injury, suicide, and eating disorder content accessible by search engines.

How TikTok, Twitch and Snap try to prevent children from watching potentially harmful videos.

The British Board of Film Classification has carried out research into online pornography services, focusing on the way pornographic content is published and displayed and how easily it can be accessed.

How UK internet users aged 16+ experience accessing pornographic content online and passing any age checks if encountered.

Research into how children communicate online and the scale and nature of any unwanted contact. Also looks at how children communicate while gaming and using apps designed to connect them to new people.

We commissioned two reports from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD) to build our understanding of user experiences of online services as we prepare to take on new duties under the Bill, with a particular focus on online terrorism, violence and hate.

This research report provides an evidence base regarding the prevalence and ease of access to content that contains an apparent offer to sell or supply a range of potentially prohibited items or articles across four categories: knives and bladed weapons, firearms, controlled drugs and psychoactive substances

This report summarises the findings from research conducted by Ofcom on the existence of content, accessible via general search services1, relating to offers to supply articles (information or items) for use in the commission of fraud ('the offence').

Content moderation processes - an overview of the processes and trade-offs to mitigate harm.