1、2019 report Published 30 May 2019 Online Nation Raising awareness of online harms 1 Overview Online Nation is a new annual report that looks at what people are doing online, how they are served by online content providers and platforms, and their attitudes to and experiences of using the internet. I

2、t brings the relevant research into a single place and aims to act as a data- and insight- driven resource for stakeholders at a time of significant evolution in the online landscape. In this report we set out business models and industry trends, alongside peoples use of and attitudes to the interne

3、t. Put together, this provides a valuable and unique evidence base to better understand any potential harms resulting from the use of online services. Alongside this report we have published our latest research on adults media use and attitudes, and our latest research into online harms, which we co

4、mmissioned jointly with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Ofcoms purpose is to make communications work for everyone. The growing relationship between market developments and consumer behaviour in online markets, and in the communications sectors that we regulate, make it ever more importa

5、nt to understand and keep track of the online landscape. We also have a duty to research and promote media literacy, which includes promoting an understanding of what is happening online. The report is structured as follows: In the first two chapters we set out how we measure and understand the onli

6、ne landscape, looking at peoples use, attitudes and impact, and industry developments. The following four chapters look in detail at specific aspects of the online experience, helping us to understand how online communications and media serve people in the UK. - A chapter on user data sets out how c

7、ollecting peoples data is key to internet firms business models and to peoples online experience. - We then focus on search and discovery to examine how people navigate the internet, how online firms help them find the information and content they are looking for, as well as content they are not loo

8、king for, but which they might find relevant or appealing. - A chapter on social media explores how the internet enables people to communicate, share content and follow news, but which is also the source of many concerns about being online. - The final chapter, on video, examines how technological a

9、dvances and changing consumer behaviour have affected how people consume content and how it is presented to them. 2 Executive summary The internet has transformed how people consume media and communicate Connected devices, high-speed internet access and new services are transforming how people commu

10、nicate and consume media content. In 2019, almost nine in ten (87%) UK households had internet access, with 82% of people using home broadband and 70% using a 4G mobile service to get online. Adults who use the internet spent, on average, 3 hours 15 minutes a day online in September 2018, up by 11 m

11、inutes since 2017. Children and young adults spent much more time online than they did watching television. But one in ten people do not use the internet In 2019, 13% of adults reported that they do not use the internet. This has remained unchanged since 2014. People over 54 are less likely to use t

12、he internet (19% for 55-64s, 33% for 65-74s and 48% for those aged 75+). Working-age adults in DE socio-economic group1 households are more than three times as likely as those in non-DE households to be non-users of the internet (14% vs. 4%). The main reason for not going online is the perceived lac

13、k of need for the internet, cited by 47% of respondents, followed by someone else going online for the non-user (12%). There are great benefits to being online The internet has made it easier and cheaper to communicate and to create and share content and information. It has enabled new business mode

14、ls which have transformed economic and social activities. Every week 74% of internet users send or receive emails (44 million people) and 49% use the internet for instant messaging communications (29 million); 73% search and browse the internet (43 million) and 36% download information for work/scho

15、ol/university (21 million); 51% use the internet for banking or paying bills (30 million) and 46% for online shopping (27 million); 23% use the 1 The DE social grades comprise semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers (D) and state pensioners, casual and lowest grade workers, unemployed with state b

16、enefits only (E). 3 internet to find health information (14 million) and 19% look for public services information on government sites (11 million).2 but eight in ten adults have concerns about some aspects of internet use While most internet users (59%) agree that the benefits of going online outwei

17、gh the risks, most also have concerns about being online. Just over half (53%) strongly agree that they are concerned about the internet. Compared to our 2018 survey, the proportion of adults who expressed an unprompted concern with aspect(s) of internet use appears to have increased (from 59% to 78

18、%3). Using a broad definition (ranging from experiences that are mildly annoying to seriously harmful), 61% of adults and 79% of 12-15 year-olds have had a potentially harmful experience online in the last 12 months. Adults and childrens exposure to potential online harm in the past twelve months So

19、urce: Ofcom-ICO research 2019 Which, if any, of the following things have you come across on the internet in the last year? PROMPTED There are high concerns about the potential online harm to children When prompted, 83% of adults expressed concern about harms to children on the internet. The greates

20、t concern was bullying, abusive behaviour or threats (55%) and there were also high levels of concern about childrens exposure to inappropriate content including pornography (49%), violent / disturbing content (46%) and content promoting self-harm (42%). Four in ten adults (39%) were concerned about

21、 children spending too much time on the internet. Many 12 to 15-year-olds said they have experienced potentially harmful conduct from others on the internet. More than a quarter (28%) said they had had unwelcome friend or follow requests or unwelcome contact, 23% had experienced bullying, abusive be

22、haviour or threats, 20% had been trolled4 and 19% had experienced someone pretending to be another person. Fifteen per cent said they had viewed violent or disturbing content. 2 Ofcom Technology Tracker 2019 3 The results of the two surveys are not directly comparable and can only be interpreted as

23、indicative. 4 A person who engages in trolling is one who deliberately says something controversial in order to start arguments or cause upset. 4 Social media sites, and Facebook in particular, are the most commonly-cited source of online harm for most of the types of potential harm we asked about.

24、For example, 69% of adults who said they had come across fake news said they had seen it on Facebook. Among 12 to 15-year-olds, Facebook was the most commonly-mentioned source of most of the potentially harmful experiences. Most adults say they would support more regulation of social media sites (70

25、%), video sharing sites (64%) and instant messenger services (61%). Compared to our 2018 research, support for more online regulation appears to have strengthened. However, just under half (47%) of adult internet users recognised that websites and social media sites have a careful balance to maintai

26、n in terms of supporting free speech, even where some users might find the content offensive.5 Changes in online behaviour are driven by being constantly connected, particularly to mobile internet Internet use is increasingly on smartphones. On average, a UK adult smartphone user spent 2 hours 34 mi

27、nutes per day online on their smartphone in September 2018. Smartphone users spend 68% of the total time people spend online on their smartphone, up from 44% in 2015. When time spent on tablets is added in, 75% of peoples total time online is on mobile devices. More than half (51%) considered the mo

28、bile as their most important device for accessing the internet in 2018. More than a third (35%) of the total time spent online in the UK is on sites owned by Google or Facebook. This reflects the primacy of video and social media in peoples online consumption, particularly on smartphones. Around nin

29、e in ten internet users visit YouTube every month, spending an average of 27 minutes a day on the site. A similar number visit Facebook, spending an average of 23 minutes a day there. But overall, people have a varied online diet, on average spending a minute or more each day on 15 different interne

30、t sites and apps. Sites and apps that were not among the top 40 sites ranked by time spent accounted for 43% of average daily consumption. Just over one in five internet users said that in the past month they had used lots of websites or apps theyve used before while a third (36%) said they only use

31、 websites or apps theyve used before. 5 Ofcom-ICO research 2019 5 Average share of time spent online per day by adult digital population, split by property6: September 2017 and 2018 (hours:minutes) Source: Comscore MMX Multi-Platform, Age: 18+, Sep 2017 and 30% say they used to have a search engine

32、as their home page but no longer do. Recommendation engines are a key way for platforms to help people discover content and products - 70% of viewing to YouTube is reportedly driven by recommendations, while 35% of what consumers purchase on Amazon comes from recommendations. Sources used to search

33、for things on the internet, proportion of all respondents (%) Source: Ofcom Search questionnaire 2019 Question: Q2. Which of the following do you use to search for things on the internet? (THIS INCLUDES ANY TYPE OF SEARCH FOR ANY TYPE OF INFORMATION OR CONTENT) Base: UK adults aged 16+ (2131) While

34、social media use remains high, Facebook use has declined Around 70% of UK adults have a social media account and about one in every five minutes spent online is on social media. On average, UK internet users spend 39 minutes each day on services including Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Tum

35、blr, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit and Pinterest. Facebook is still the largest social media site in the UK in terms of reach, consumption and revenue, although its use has fallen in the last two years (from 95% of social media users in 2016 to 88% in 2018). Use of Facebook-owned properties WhatsApp and

36、 Instagram both grew in the same period. There is an increase in people using multiple services; just 20% of social media users only used Facebook in 2018 (down from 32% in 2018). However, users spend much more time on 85% 61% 50% 41% 40% 37% 30% 30% 28% 19% 11% 10% 10% 7% 3% Search engines A shoppi

37、ng website or app Typing directly into the URL box in an internet browser Social media websites or apps The YouTube website or app Websites or apps with user reviews The Wikipedia website or app The BBC website or app Map app or mapping website Websites/apps of newspapers Typing into the Windows Sta

38、rt button Online articles on sites/apps Voice assistant on mobile phone Voice assistant on a smart speaker Voice assistant on a connected TV through a set top box, smart TV, or streaming stick 9 Facebook, at an average of 23 minutes a day per user, compared to around nine minutes on Snapchat and fiv

39、e minutes on Instagram, and 74% of Facebook users check it at least once a day. Social media is an important part of many aspects of internet use including keeping in touch with friends and family, sharing photos and videos, and staying up to date with news and current affairs. In 2018, 44% of adult

40、s claimed to consume news via social media. Around half of 12-year-olds have a social media profile. Most social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat have a minimum age requirement of 13, but 21% of 10-year-olds, 34% of 11-year-olds and 48% of 12-year-olds say they have a

41、profile. Social media sites used by adults: 2013-2018 Source: Ofcom Adults Media Literacy Tracker 2018 UK online use is becoming increasingly video-centric Video accounted for the majority of UK internet traffic in 2017, at 70% of data transferred, including activities such as streaming TV and video

42、, as well as making video calls and online gaming. YouTube is the largest video site/app, with 92% of UK internet users accessing it once a month for 27 minutes per day on average. This is mostly to watch music (62% of video service users) and how- to videos (57%). YouTube is also increasingly used

43、as a search tool, with 40% of UK adults searching directly via the YouTube website or app in 2019. 96% 20% 12% 22% 7% 28% 12% 2% 16% 3% 43% 95% 45% 31% 30% 23% 26% 17% 12% 16% 3% 32% 91% 54% 31% 33% 27% 24% 16% 14% 14% 3% 26% 88% 61% 38% 35% 25% 25% 16% 12% 11% 3% 20% Facebook Whats App Instagram Yo

44、uTubeSnapchatTwitterLinkedInPinterestGoogle+TumblrFacebook only 201320162017*2018* 10 Type of video content consumed online Source: Ofcom Adults Media Literacy Tracker 2018 Question: IN19B. (SHOWCARD) And what types of videos do you tend to watch on these sites and apps? (MULTI CODE) Base: Those who

45、 ever watch videos on sites or apps like YouTube, Vimeo, Snapchat or Facebook 3% 4% 9% 10% 13% 25% 29% 29% 39% 42% 56% 57% 62% Religious speeches or events Other types of videos Political speeches or campaigns Vlogs from vloggers/ influencers (like Zoella or Thatcher Joe) Game tutorials, walk-throug

46、hs, watching other people play games Whole TV programmes or films Sports/ football clips or videos News / current affairs / documentaries Reviews about things I may want to buy Short entertainment videos (film trailers, clips from TV programmes or highlights). Funny videos / jokes / pranks / challenges How- to videos, tips or tutorials about things that I want to do Music videos