New research finds children’s online spaces ‘saturated’ with gambling-like content and advertising

Family Kids & Youth carried out research on behalf of GambleAware July-November last year looking at the impact gambling has on children and young people considered to be vulnerable. We carried out 6 workshops in schools across the UK with 55 children and young people aged 11-17. Respondents included a mix of family income, gender and ethnicity, and included SEND and those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The research found that vulnerable children are more at risk of gambling, not necessarily understanding what gambling is, but engaging in a wide range of gambling activities, with a strong recall of gambling advertising. GambleAware published its report 21 April 2024, combining our research with two other studies run by our colleagues at Sherbert and CultureStudio that included 18 children under 11, and ‘affected others’- 16 children and young people affected by a close relative’s gambling.  To protect children, Zoe Osmond, CEO of GambleAware, has called for more restrictions to be put on gambling advertising, including online advertising. The report can be seen here.