Ofcom reveals latest online trends amongst young people and adults

Having published their annual report at the end of March, the UK’s communication’s regulator Ofcom presented finding this week looking at how how young people are using social media. They highlight the use of fake accounts on Instagram (known as ‘Finstas’), which are often used by children and teens as a decoy for their parents. In fact, Ofcom found two-thirds of the 8-11 year olds they spoke to had multiple social media accounts online and at least 1 in 20 had ways around the parental controls meant to restrict their access to specific apps or websites. A growing number of younger children are also becoming accustomed to social media. Known as ‘TikTots’, those between age 5-7 are gravitating towards apps such as Instagram and Tik Tok with full permission from parents, despite the minimum age requirements by these sites being 13. As for the general public’s habits, it was revealed people are more accustomed to watching curated content instead of videos posted by family or friends. This is encouraging the use of scrolling rather than sharing what is being watched online and reinforcing the growing influencer market. More information about Ofcom’s findings can be found through their website.