Ofcom research has found that children are going online from an increasingly young age, with a majority of under-twos now using screens and almost two-thirds of parents with children aged between six months and two years saying their child goes online.

The findings are included in Ofcom’s latest Children’s Online Experiences report, which examines how children spend their time online, how they interact with different forms of media, and how they feel about the content and activities they encounter.

According to the regulator, 65% of parents of children aged six months to two years say their child goes online, while 85% say their child ever looks at a screen. Smartphone ownership also increases sharply as children get older, rising from 56% of 10-year-olds to 83% of 11-year-olds, suggesting that the transition to senior school remains a major tipping point for children getting their first phone.

Time spent online also rises steeply with age. Children aged eight to 14 spend an average of one day a week online, increasing to two days a week among 15 to 17-year-olds.

The report also points to the declining role of traditional media and offline activities in children’s daily lives. Live television, radio and print media were rarely part of children’s routines, with most media consumption taking place on phones, mainly through social media or games.

Reading for pleasure was also notably uncommon. Many children said they found it difficult to maintain focus on longer texts or lacked interest when compared with more visual and interactive forms of media. While offline activities still formed part of many children’s lives, they were often described as taking up only a small share of their overall time.

Harmful Content Remains Widespread

Ofcom’s research found that nearly three-quarters of 11 to 17-year-olds said they had seen harmful content online, with little change since before online safety rules came into force.

Personalised feeds appear to be a major factor, with 35% of children saying they had seen harmful content while scrolling their feed. Despite this, most children aged eight to 17 said they feel safe and happy on social media and messaging services at least most of the time, at 81% and 71% respectively.

Parents were more divided on the overall impact of social media. Less than half, 40%, of parents of eight to 17-year-olds said they believe the benefits of social media outweigh the risks, while 38% disagreed.

AI Use Outpaces Understanding

The report also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in children’s online experiences. More than half of eight to 17-year-olds, 56%, said they use AI, rising to two-thirds, 66%, among 16 to 17-year-olds.

Children reported using AI for learning, creativity and everyday tasks, while 11% of eight to 17-year-olds said they had used AI as someone to talk to or “as a friend”.

However, Ofcom’s findings suggest that children’s understanding of AI remains limited. Many children did not appear to distinguish between different AI tools, and few questioned the accuracy of AI-generated outputs.

Among teenage AI users aged 13 to 17, 40% said they would trust an AI-generated news article either as much as, or more than, one written by a human. A further 43% said they would trust it less.

While 52% of teenagers said they felt confident in their ability to recognise AI-generated content, testing suggested that confidence did not always translate into accuracy. A quarter of those who said they were confident were unable to correctly identify the AI-generated image shown to them.

Children More Likely to Consume Than Create

The research also found that children are more likely to consume online content than create it.

Among eight to 17-year-olds who use social media, 65% said they mainly read, watch, follow or “like” content on social platforms. Around a third, 34%, said they share, comment on or post content.

The report suggests that platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are primarily used by children for scrolling and watching short-form videos, while Snapchat and WhatsApp are more commonly used for communication.

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Gaming has also become both a social space and a source of entertainment for many children. Most children, 72%, engaged with online gaming in some form, while 55% of eight to 17-year-olds used a games console to go online and 72% said they game online.

Most children play with friends, family or people they know in person, but many also interact with people they have only met online. More than half, 55%, said they do so at least sometimes, while one in five, 20%, said they do so frequently.

Some children described gaming as both entertainment and a social activity, giving them a way to play with existing friends or meet new people online.

Taken together, Ofcom’s findings suggest that children’s online lives are becoming more embedded, more personalised and more social from an increasingly early age. But the report also highlights persistent concerns around harmful content, AI literacy and the extent to which children understand the systems shaping what they see online and how this can colour and influence their experience.