Children’s Media Use and Attitudes Report
2016
Section 6 – Knowledge and
understanding of media among 8-15s
55
Figure 48: Experience of visiting websites not used before ,among those who go online
at home (2011, 2013) or elsewhere (2015, 2016), by age
%
3
5
5
3
8
5
6
4
2
8
4
9
9
4
8
Don't know
35
Use lots of websites
or apps that you've not
used before
13
25
31
24
25
38
38
36
Use one or two
websites or apps that
you've not used before
68
61
63
66
51
53
49
41
2011
2013
2015
Aged 8-11
2016
2011
2013
2015
Only use websites or
apps that you've used
before
2016
Aged 12-15
QC17 – Thinking about all the things you use to go online, in a normal week would you say that you….(prompted responses, single coded?
Base: Children aged 8-15 who go online (445 aged 8-11, 463 aged 12-15 in 2016). Significance testing shows any change between 2015 and 2016
56
Figure 49: Online sources of accurate and true information for different scenarios among
12-15s: 2015, 2016
%
Serious things that are
going on in the world
7
6
7
2
8
Fun things like hobbies and
interests
10
4
5
8
4
5
8
23
7
4
9
3
5
7
4
4
8
5
3
2
3
17
Don't know
None of these
Social media
37
30
How to build, make or
create things
44
50
Wikipedia
35
YouTube
52
Google
32
35
32
26
26
BBC
2015
2016
5
2015
9
2016
4
2015
5
2016
QC52A-C I’m going to read out some types of information you may want to find out about and I’d like you to say which one of these you would turn to first for accurate and true
information online about… (prompted responses, single coded)
Base: Children aged 12-15 who go online (463 aged 12-15 in 2016). Significance testing shows any change between 2015 and 2016
57
Figure 50: Children’s belief in the truthfulness in websites used for school/ homework
at home (2011, 2013) or elsewhere (2015, 2016), by age
All is true
Most is true
Some is true
Don’t know
%
41
2011
42
36
2013
10
38
15
8
10
Aged 8-11
28
2015
23
2016
Aged 12-15
42
2016
17
9
52
45
25
11
46
30
2013
9
27
40
2011
2015
28
36
12
6
4
33
46
2
26
3
QC15B - When you go online do you visit site or apps for school work or homework, for instance BBC Bitesize or sites suggested by your teachers? IF YES - Do you believe that
all of the information you see on these sites or apps is true, most of it is true or just some of it is true? (prompted responses, single coded) Question wording changed in 2016 to
include specific examples of the sorts of websites/ apps they might use.
Base: Children aged 8-15 who go online and who say they visit sites or apps for their schoolwork or homework (370 aged 8-11, 423 aged 12-15). Significance testing shows any
change between 2015 and 2016.
58
Figure 51: Children’s belief in the truthfulness in websites used for social media at
home (2011, 2013) or elsewhere (2015, 2016), by age
All is true
Most is true
Some is true
Don’t know
%
7
2011
Aged 8-11
2013
4
Aged 12-15
2
2013
59
4
14
17
27
19
16
6
59
25
9
7
66
8
2015
2016
20
5
11
64
16
2011
55
26
8
2015
2016
26
64
6
68
5
73
7
QC15A - When you go online do you visit social media sites or apps like Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Twitter or YouTube? IF YES - Do you believe that all of the information
you see on these sites or apps is true, most of it is true or just some of it is true? (prompted responses, single coded)
Base: Children aged 8-15 who go online and who say they visit social media sites or apps (239 aged 8-11, 401 aged 12-15). Significance testing shows any change between 2015
and 2016.
59
Figure 52: Children’s belief in the truthfulness in news websites or apps used at
home (2011, 2013) or elsewhere (2015, 2016), by age
All is true
Most is true
Some is true
Don’t know
%
2011
Aged 8-11
Aged 12-15
LOW BASE
26
2013
2015
23
2016
22
2015
2016
20
13
35
16
48
16
16
59
34
41
36
12
33
27
18
14
23
31
31
2011
2013
39
6
8
11
38
6
QC15C - When you go online do you visit sites or apps about news and what is going on in the world, for instance BBC news, CBBC Newsround, newspaper websites like the
Daily Mail or Guardian or news apps or sites like Buzzfeed? IF YES - Do you believe that all of the information you see on these sites or apps is true, most of it is true or just
some of it is true? (prompted responses, single coded) Question wording changed in 2016 to include specific examples of the sorts of websites/ apps they might use.
Base: Children aged 8-15 who go online and who say they visit sites or apps about news and what is going on in the world (256 aged 8-11, 333 aged 12-15). Significance testing
shows any change between 2015 and 2016.
60
Figure 53: 8-15s’ understanding of whether results listed by search engines can be
trusted: 2016
100%
28
27
80%
I think that some of these
websites can be trusted and
some can't
60%
50
56
40%
20%
I think that if they have been
listed by Google these websites
can be trusted
10
12
0%
Aged 8-11
11
I don't really think about whether
the websites can be trusted
Don't know
5
Aged 12-15
QC24– When you use Google to look for something online, you are given a list of websites in the Google results page. Which one of these sentences about these results
do you agree with most? (prompted responses, single coded)
Base: Children aged 8-15 who go online and use search engine websites or apps (339 age 8-11, 409 aged 12-15)
61
Figure 54: Checks made by 12-15s who go online to establish whether they can
trust websites they haven’t visited before: 2016
%
77
39
31
30
30
27
17
15
13
8
Ask someone
else if they have
been to the
website
How up to
date it is
Whether it’s
a company
you have
heard of
Compare
information
across sites
Check the
general look of
the website
(layout,
colours, how
professional it
looks)
Links to the
site from
another site
you trust
Check
which
country the
website is
from
See if there
are adverts on
the website
from
companies
you recognise
Never go to
websites
I’ve not
used before
Any of these
checks made
QC27 – If you were using a website or app you hadn't visited before to look for information online and you weren't sure whether you could trust the website or app, which of
these things, if any might you check (prompted responses, multi-coded)
Base: Children aged 12-15 who go online (463 aged 12-15 in 2016) - excludes DK responses
62
Figure 55: Understanding of paid-for results returned by Google searches, among 8-15s
who use search engine websites: 2016
27%
These are adverts/ they have
paid to appear here
45%
16%
These are the best results
17%
Aged 8-11
28%
These are the most popular
results
33%
Aged 12-15
31%
Don't know
17%
Only stated the correct
response
24%
38%
QC26 This is a picture (SHOWCARD OF IMAGE) from a Google search for ‘ children’s trainers’. Do you know why the three results at the top of the page have been
listed first? (Prompted responses, multi-coded). Base: Children aged 8-15 who go online at home or elsewhere and use search engine websites or apps (339 aged 8-11,
409 aged 12-15). Significance testing shows any change between 2015 and 2016.
63
Figure 56: Awareness among 12-15s of personalised advertising: 2015, 2016
Some people might see different adverts to the ones that I see
Everyone will see the same adverts as me
Don't know
%
2015
45
18
38
Internet users
2016
Those who say
they see adverts
online
2015
2016
55
52
54
20
19
25
29
20
26
QC32 When someone in the same country as you visits a website or app at the same time as you, which one of these things applies to any advertising you can see? (prompted
response, single coded) / QC31 When you go to websites or use apps do you ever see adverts or ads?
Base: Children aged 12-15 who go online at home or elsewhere (463), children aged 12-15 who say they see ads online (378). Significance testing shows any change between
2015 and 2016.
64
Figure 57: Understanding among 12-15s of potential product endorsement by
vloggers: 2015, 2016
They are being paid by
the company or brand to
say this
47%
2015
57%
2016
They want to share this
information with their
followers
27%
23%
They think these products
or brands are cool/ good
to use
26%
29%
27%
Don't know
16%
QC33 On sites like YouTube some vloggers with lots of followers like Zoella, Thatcher Joe or PewDiePie might say good things about a particular company or product or
brand, such as Nike clothing, a new game or clothes from TopShop. Why do you think they might say good things about these products or brands? (prompted response,
multi-coded)
Base: Children aged 12-15 who go online (463 in 2016). Significance testing shows any change between 2015 and 2016.
65
Figure 58: Awareness among 12-15s of exposure to in-game advertising which
promotes access to advanced features/ ‘pay-to-win’: 2015, 2016
See these ads on all/ most games
0%
20%
2015
24
2016
24
See these ads on some games
40%
Do not see these types of ads
60%
35
80%
30
42
Don't know
100%
11
28
6
QC46 – When you play games do you ever see adverts or screens appearing within the game that give you the chance to spend money to allow you to do get further ahead
in the game? IF NECESSARY -Through spending money it might make it easier to win the game, to clear a level, to progress to the next level or to buy more powers or
abilities or to prolong your life in the game. Would you say you see these sorts of ads on all games, most games, or just some games that you play? (prompted responses,
single coded)
Base: Children aged 12-15 who ever play games at home or elsewhere (370 aged 12-15). Significance testing shows any change between 2015 and 2016.
66
Figure 59: Understanding of how BBC/ Google/ YouTube are funded, among users
aged 12-15: 2016
From everyone that uses [ORGANISATION)
From companies that advertise with [ORGANISATION]
From the government/ council
Don't know
0%
20%
26
BBC
YouTube
16
Google
16
40%
24
60%
80%
18
51
49
100%
32
3
7
29
28
QC5/ QC9/ QC25 – Where do you think the BBC/ YouTube/ Google mainly gets its money from? (prompted responses, single coded)
Base: Children aged 12-15 who watch TV at home or elsewhere (469)/ Children aged 12-15 who use the YouTube website or app (409) / Children aged 12-15 who go online and
use search engine websites or apps (409).
67