Ofcom Children's Online User Ages (CUA) Wave 3
Study details from the Studies index, with sources and citations for each field.
Notes · Non-probability; Total 8–12 social-media profile-holder sample, n=840 — the population base for the per-platform underage profile-ownership metric (per-platform bases vary, e.g. Snapchat 357, TikTok 359, YouTube 690). The user-age-gap figures use a subset with a calculable user age (n=709). Full survey n=1,709 aged 8–17.
References
Ofcom (2024) CUA W3 Chart Pack— Wave 3 Chart Pack
Ofcom (2024). Children's Online User Ages Wave 3 — Chart Pack.
report- Retrieved on:
- 2026-05-21
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- 55
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Ofcom (2024) CUA W3 Questionnaire— Wave 3 Questionnaire
Ofcom (2024). Children's Online User Ages Wave 3 — Survey Questionnaire.
instrument- Retrieved on:
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- 8
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Ofcom (2024) CUA W3 Tech Report— Wave 3 Technical Report
Ofcom (2024). Children's Online User Ages Wave 3 — Technical Report.
methodology- Retrieved on:
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Ofcom (2024) CUA W3 Data Tables— Wave 3 Data Tablesadditional source
Ofcom (2024). Children's Online User Ages Wave 3 — Data Tables (xlsx).
crosstabs- Retrieved on:
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Study details & methodology
| Name | “Children’s Online User Ages” Ofcom Children’s Online User Ages, Wave 3. |
| Country | “The sample for the survey was designed to be representative of UK internet users aged 8 to 17 years” |
| Publication year | Publication year 2024. Ofcom’s release calendar lists Wave 3 on 11 October 2024: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/our-research/statistical-release-calendar-2024- |
| Fieldwork dates | “15th – 27th August 2024.” Fieldwork ran 15 – 27 August 2024. |
| Sample size | “W1 8-12 (915); W3 8-12 (840)” The entry covers 840 respondents aged 8–12, within the full sample of 1,709 aged 8–17. Eligibility required an own profile on at least one listed app. Individual-app bases vary; the profile-age calculations use a smaller subset with a calculable user age. |
| Age range | “Male 8 to 12”“Female 8 to 12” The displayed entry uses the 8–12 age group in the unweighted sample profile. |
| Sampling | “The survey was conducted using the YouGov bespoke online survey platform.” Non-probability YouGov online panel; children recruited via parents/carers. Quotas aimed for at least 50 interviews per age group (8-12, 13-15, 16-17) per app/site. |
Harms measured
| Underage Use | “Q1. Which of the following apps and sites do you use?”“Q2. Below are the apps and sites you said you use. Some need a profile or account to be set up first.” Q1 records app use and Q2 distinguishes own profiles from borrowed profiles or no profile. Age combined with own-profile status supports the under-13 coverage here. Separate questions measure the date of birth supplied when the profile was created and whether age verification was requested; a misstated profile age is not itself the definition of underage use. |
Platforms measured
| Platform list | “Q1. Which of the following apps and sites do you use?” Own-profile and profile-age questions document 9 eligible apps for ages 8–12. YouTube is excluded because permitted supervised access is not distinguished. Low-base reporting limits do not remove documented measurement. |
Per-app measurement by harm
| Underage Use | “Q2. Below are the apps and sites you said you use. Some need a profile or account to be set up first.” Own-profile and profile-age questions document 9 eligible apps for ages 8–12. YouTube is excluded because permitted supervised access is not distinguished. Low-base reporting limits do not remove documented measurement. |