UK: Children aged 4 – 5 are live streaming their content as those aged 14 – 16

Research by Internet Matters, which educates parents about their children’s online behaviour, found that nearly as many children aged four to five are live-streaming their own content as those aged 14 to 16.

A report on The Telegraph states that among the youngest children, 13 per cent are using live-streaming apps to film and post content online. Among teenagers the figure is 17 per cent. Almost one in three children aged between six and 10 post live content “sometimes”, the survey found.

The research, which involved interviewing 2,000 parents, found that YouTube was the most popular platform for children use to broadcast content, followed by Facebook Live and Instagram Live.

Dr Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist who works with Internet Matters, said: “Live-streaming is another example of how kids have moved their lives online and are increasingly using digital platforms as a way of crowdsourcing their identity.

The report can be accessed here.