Children and online gaming: what Ofcom's report found

On 13th October 2026, just before half-term, Ofcom published Growing Up Gaming, a summary that brings together several of its studies of how children in the UK play video games. The headline was about strangers: more than half of children who game online play with people they have never met in person, and that is the thing parents worry about most (Ofcom, 2026a). The detail underneath is more useful for a parent thinking about a child's wellbeing. Gaming is now one of the main ways children spend time with each other. The children who are already finding life harder game more and meet more of the risk. And the point at which gaming becomes a problem in its own right is more specific than the amount of time on the clock.

How much children game

Almost nine in ten children aged 3 to 17 play games on some kind of device, rising to 96 per cent at ages 10 to 12. Asked to pick their three favourite things to do in their free time, on or off a screen, 43 per cent of 8 to 17 year olds chose gaming, more than any other activity on the list. Boys game a little more than girls (91 per cent against 86 per cent), and creative and building games are the most popular kind for both (Ofcom, 2026b). For most families, then, the useful question is what the gaming is doing for their child.

Gaming is how many children socialise

Nearly all children who game online do it with friends or family at least some of the time, and more than half do so most of the time. Gaming also widens the circle. Fifty-five per cent play with people they have only met online at least sometimes, one in five do so all or most of the time, and 44 per cent have played with someone they first met online and later met in person (Ofcom, 2026b). Ofcom's interviews with children include a nine-year-old who adds lots of players as friends so that he feels less lonely, because he does not have many friends at school (Ofcom, 2026b). That is the part a clinician notices. For some children the game is where most of their friendships happen, and taking it away without anything to replace it can leave them more isolated.

The children who game most

Ofcom found the clearest differences among children who already have a lot going on. Children with a limiting or impacting condition, which Ofcom defines to include mental health and social or behavioural difficulties as well as physical ones, are more likely to game (95 per cent against 88 per cent), about twice as likely to play with people they have only met online (31 per cent against 16 per cent), and more likely to experience nasty or hurtful behaviour while gaming. Nearly all the looked-after children in the research game (Ofcom, 2026b). A child who finds face-to-face contact hard may find it easier through a headset and a shared task, which can be a real strength. It also means the children most likely to be upset by what happens online are often the ones spending most time there.

When it turns nasty

Among 8 to 17 year olds who said someone had been nasty or hurtful to them in the past year, 38 per cent said it had happened through online games, behind social media and messaging. Boys were more likely than girls to say this had happened to them (48 per cent against 29 per cent). Parents' biggest worries were their child talking to strangers (64 per cent), bullying by other players (60 per cent), inappropriate content (59 per cent) and pressure to spend money (51 per cent). Yet the rules families set tend to cover how long and when children play rather than who with: 56 per cent of parents set time limits, but only 43 per cent set rules about who their child plays with, and one in ten set no gaming rules at all. Rules also drop away with age, from 96 per cent of parents of 8 to 12 year olds to 80 per cent of parents of 13 to 17 year olds (Ofcom, 2026b).

Check, chat, change

Ofcom's half-term advice to parents is three steps. Check the age a child is registered with on each game and device, who can contact them and what they can see. Chat regularly about what they enjoy, who they play and talk with, and whether anything has made them uncomfortable or upset. Change settings or family rules where something needs to change, including restricting contact from unknown players and reviewing spending permissions (Ofcom, 2026a). Of the three, the chat matters most for wellbeing, and timing makes a difference. Ask in a calm moment, not in the middle of an argument about coming off the console, and ask about the people as well as the game. A child who expects a conversation about gaming to end with the device being taken away will stop telling you when something goes wrong. Ofcom is also clear that platforms now have legal duties under the Online Safety Act to protect children, and that parents are not expected to manage the risk alone (Ofcom, 2026a).

When gaming is the problem, and when it is a sign of something else

The World Health Organization recognises gaming disorder as a condition, but the bar is specific. It describes a pattern of impaired control over gaming, gaming taking increasing priority over other interests and daily activities, and carrying on despite negative consequences, severe enough to cause significant problems with family, friends, school or other parts of life, and normally evident for at least 12 months. The WHO notes that it affects only a small proportion of people who game (World Health Organization, n.d.). Far more often, heavy gaming is a response to something else. A child who is anxious, low, being bullied at school or struggling with friendships may retreat into the one place that feels manageable. The signs worth taking seriously are the same either way: sport, friends or hobbies quietly dropping away, sleep or school slipping, distress on coming off that takes a long time to settle, secrecy about who they are talking to, or coming away from a game upset more often than not. In England, the NHS National Centre for Gaming Disorders sees people aged 13 and over who are struggling to control their gaming, accepts referrals from families and professionals as well as self-referrals, and offers support to parents of 13 to 16 year olds (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, n.d.). In Wales, start with your GP practice.

Blip is a specialist mental health service for children and young people aged 7 to 25. If your child's gaming has become the place they go to get away from anxiety, low mood or trouble with friends, or you are not sure which came first, get in touch. One of our clinicians will talk it through with you and, if an assessment would help, arrange one with a named clinician. You do not need a referral.