Percentage of 8-17-Year-Olds Recalled Use of Services in United Kingdom

Name: Percentage of 8-17-Year-Olds Recalled Use of Services in United Kingdom
Creator: Ofcom, Children’s Online Experiences, May 2026
Published: 2026-07-08
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This data from Ofcom's 2025 Children's Online Safety Tracker illustrate the changing landscape of digital service usage among UK children (aged 8–17) following the introduction of the UK Online Safety Act and Ofcom's Children's Codes. The data reveal a statistically significant shift towards specific, highly engaging platforms, with usage of TikTok (60%) and Snapchat (50%) increasing four months after the new safety duties came into force. In contrast, legacy social media and messaging services, including Instagram (44%), Facebook (41%) and Facebook Messenger (29%), all experienced significant declines.

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Source: Ofcom, Children’s Online Experiences, May 2026

Topic: Usage Patterns

Reference year: 2026

Geographical scope: United Kingdom

Method: survey (6,529 children aged 8–17)

Unit of measurement: Percent (%)

Link to original document: www.ofcom.org.uk

Percentage of 8-17-Year-Olds Recalled Use of Services in United Kingdom

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