Growing Up Gaming: Children's Gaming Habits Research Summary

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
Gaming is the most popular free-time activity among children aged 8-17 listed, with 43% naming it among their top three.See it on page 4
02
Roblox is the most widely used gaming app among UK children aged 8-14 on smartphones and tablets, with 58% using it for gaming.See it on page 7
03
Over half of children who game online play with people they have only met online at least sometimes, and 44% of 3-17s who game online have played with someone first met online and later met in person.See it on page 5
04
Parents' most common concern is their child talking to strangers through games or chat, cited by 64% of parents of 3-17s who play games online.See it on page 11
05
Over half of children aged 8-17 who gamed in the last month reported buying something while gaming, with 31% buying directly within the game.See it on page 11
06
Among 8-17s who reported someone being nasty or hurtful towards them in the past year, 38% said this happened through online games.See it on page 10
07
Rules on gaming decline with age: 80% of parents of 13-17-year-olds set at least one rule, compared with 96% of parents of 3-7-year-olds and 8-12-year-olds.See it on page 12

Summary

Ofcom's Growing Up Gaming is a UK research summary on children's gaming habits, drawing on its Children's Media Lives study, Children and Parents Media Tracker, Children's Passive Online Measurement research, and 2025 research on persuasive design features and potential child financial harms. It covers children aged 3-17 and examines which devices and games they use, who they play with, the negative experiences they report, and parental concerns and rules. The document states that 88% of children aged 3-17 play games on some kind of device, with games consoles (50%), mobile phones (50%) and tablets (47%) the most common. Among children aged 3-17 who game online, 55% play with people they have only met online at least sometimes, and 44% say they have played with someone first met online and later met in person. Among parents and carers of 3-17-year-olds who play games online, the biggest concerns are their child talking to strangers (64%), bullying (60%), inappropriate content (59%) and in-game purchase pressure (51%). Among 8-17s, 53% who gamed in the last month reported buying something while gaming. The document also reports that 96% of parents of 3-7-year-olds and 96% of parents of 8-12-year-olds set at least one gaming rule, compared with 80% of parents of 13-17-year-olds.