According to a survey of younger internet users conducted in the United Kingdom in 2021, ** percent of respondents aged between 16 and 17 years old used social media, while ** percent had their own social media profile. Over **** in ** respondents belonging to the 12 to 15 year age group used social media, whilst ** percent had their profiles. Overall, around *** ***** of those aged three to four years used social media, and *********** of this age group had their own social media profile.

National and subnational mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries by administrative area, age and sex (including components of population change, median age and population density).

This is the second (wave 2) in a series of follow up reports to the Mental Health and Young People Survey (MHCYP) 2017, exploring the mental health of children and young people in February/March 2021, during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and changes since 2017. Experiences of family life, education, and services during the COVID-19 pandemic are also examined. The sample for the Mental Health Survey for Children and Young People, 2021 (MHCYP 2021), wave 2 follow up was based on 3,667 children and young people who took part in the MHCYP 2017 survey, with both surveys also drawing on information collected from parents. Cross-sectional analyses are presented, addressing three primary aims: Aim 1: Comparing mental health between 2017 and 2021 – the likelihood of a mental disorder has been assessed against completion of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in both years in Topic 1 by various demographics. Aim 2: Describing life during the COVID-19 pandemic - Topic 2 examines the circumstances and experiences of children and young people in February/March 2021 and the preceding months, covering: COVID-19 infection and symptoms. Feelings about social media use. Family connectedness. Family functioning. Education, including missed days of schooling, access to resources, and support for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Changes in circumstances. How lockdown and restrictions have affected children and young people’s lives. Seeking help for mental health concerns. Aim 3: Present more detailed data on the mental health, circumstances and experiences of children and young people by ethnic group during the coronavirus pandemic (where sample sizes allow). The data is broken down by gender and age bands of 6 to 10 year olds and 11 to 16 year olds for all categories, and 17 to 22 years old for certain categories where a time series is available, as well as by whether a child is unlikely to have a mental health disorder, possibly has a mental health disorder and probably has a mental health disorder. This study was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, commissioned by NHS Digital, and carried out by the Office for National Statistics, the National Centre for Social Research, University of Cambridge and University of Exeter.

In 2024, children in the United Kingdom spent an average of *** minutes per day on TikTok. This was followed by Instagram, as children in the UK reported using the app for an average of ** minutes daily. Children in the UK aged between four and 18 years also used Facebook for ** minutes a day on average in the measured period. Mobile ownership and usage among UK children In 2021, around ** percent of kids aged between eight and 11 years in the UK owned a smartphone, while children aged between five and seven having access to their own device were approximately ** percent. Mobile phones were also the second most popular devices used to access the web by children aged between eight and 11 years, as tablet computers were still the most popular option for users aged between three and 11 years. Children were not immune to the popularity acquired by short video format content in 2020 and 2021, spending an average of ** minutes per day engaging with TikTok, as well as over ** minutes on the YouTube app in 2021. Children data protection In 2021, ** percent of U.S. parents and ** percent of UK parents reported being slightly concerned with their children’s device usage habits. While the share of parents reporting to be very or extremely concerned was considerably smaller, children are considered among the most vulnerable digital audiences and need additional attention when it comes to data and privacy protection. According to a study conducted during the first quarter of 2022, ** percent of children’s apps hosted in the Google Play Store and ** percent of apps hosted in the Apple App Store transmitted users’ locations to advertisers. Additionally, ** percent of kids’ apps were found to collect persistent identifiers, such as users’ IP addresses, which could potentially lead to Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) violations in the United States. In the United Kingdom, companies have to take into account several obligations when considering online environments for children, including an age-appropriate design and avoiding sharing children’s data.

Background:
The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is a large-scale, multi-purpose longitudinal dataset providing information about babies born at the beginning of the 21st century, their progress through life, and the families who are bringing them up, for the four countries of the United Kingdom. The original objectives of the first MCS survey, as laid down in the proposal to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in March 2000, were:

• to chart the initial conditions of social, economic and health advantages and disadvantages facing children born at the start of the 21st century, capturing information that the research community of the future will require
• to provide a basis for comparing patterns of development with the preceding cohorts (the National Child Development Study, held at the UK Data Archive under GN 33004, and the 1970 Birth Cohort Study, held under GN 33229)
• to collect information on previously neglected topics, such as fathers' involvement in children's care and development
• to focus on parents as the most immediate elements of the children's 'background', charting their experience as mothers and fathers of newborn babies in the year 2000, recording how they (and any other children in the family) adapted to the newcomer, and what their aspirations for her/his future may be
• to emphasise intergenerational links including those back to the parents' own childhood
• to investigate the wider social ecology of the family, including social networks, civic engagement and community facilities and services, splicing in geo-coded data when available

Additional objectives subsequently included for MCS were:

• to provide control cases for the national evaluation of Sure Start (a government programme intended to alleviate child poverty and social exclusion)
• to provide samples of adequate size to analyse and compare the smaller countries of the United Kingdom, and include disadvantaged areas of England

Further information about the MCS can be found on the Centre for Longitudinal Studies web pages.

The content of MCS studies, including questions, topics and variables can be explored via the CLOSER Discovery website.

The first sweep (MCS1) interviewed both mothers and (where resident) fathers (or father-figures) of infants included in the sample when the babies were nine months old, and the second sweep (MCS2) was carried out with the same respondents when the children were three years of age. The third sweep (MCS3) was conducted in 2006, when the children were aged five years old, the fourth sweep (MCS4) in 2008, when they were seven years old, the fifth sweep (MCS5) in 2012-2013, when they were eleven years old, the sixth sweep (MCS6) in 2015, when they were fourteen years old, and the seventh sweep (MCS7) in 2018, when they were seventeen years old.

End User Licence versions of MCS studies:
The End User Licence (EUL) versions of MCS1, MCS2, MCS3, MCS4, MCS5, MCS6 and MCS7 are held under UK Data Archive SNs 4683, 5350, 5795, 6411, 7464, 8156 and 8682 respectively. The longitudinal family file is held under SN 8172.

Sub-sample studies:
Some studies based on sub-samples of MCS have also been conducted, including a study of MCS respondent mothers who had received assisted fertility treatment, conducted in 2003 (see EUL SN 5559). Also, birth registration and maternity hospital episodes for the MCS respondents are held as a separate dataset (see EUL SN 5614).


How to access genetic and/or bio-medical sample data from a range of longitudinal surveys:
For information on how to access biomedical data from MCS that are not held at the UKDS, see the CLS Genetic data and biological samples webpage.

Secure Access datasets:
Secure Access versions of the MCS have more restrictive access conditions than versions available under the standard End User Licence or Special Licence (see 'Access data' tab above).

Secure Access versions of the MCS include:

• detailed sensitive variables not available under EUL. These have been grouped thematically and are held under SN 8753 (socio-economic, accommodation and occupational data), SN 8754 (self-reported health, behaviour and fertility), SN 8755 (demographics, language and religion) and SN 8756 (exact participation dates). These files replace previously available studies held under SNs 8456 and 8622-8627
  
• detailed geographical identifier files which are grouped by sweep held under SN 7758 (MCS1), SN 7759 (MCS2), SN 7760 (MCS3), SN 7761 (MCS4), SN 7762 (MCS5 2001 Census Boundaries), SN 7763 (MCS5 2011 Census Boundaries), SN 8231 (MCS6 2001 Census Boundaries), SN 8232 (MCS6 2011 Census Boundaries), SN 8757 (MCS7), SN 8758 (MCS7 2001 Census Boundaries) and SN 8759 (MCS7 2011 Census Boundaries). These files replace previously available files grouped by geography SN 7049 (Ward level), SN 7050 (Lower Super Output Area level), and SN 7051 (Output Area level)
• linked education administrative datasets for Key Stages 1, 2, 4 and 5 held under SN 8481 (England). This replaces previously available datasets for Key Stage 1 (SN 6862) and Key Stage 2 (SN 7712)
  
• linked education administrative datasets for Key Stage 1 held under SN 7414 (Scotland)
• linked education administrative dataset for Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 under SN 9085 (Wales)
  
• linked NHS Patient Episode Database for Wales (PEDW) for MCS1 – MCS5 held under SN 8302
• linked Scottish Medical Records data held under SNs 8709, 8710, 8711, 8712, 8713 and 8714;
• Banded Distances to English Grammar Schools for MCS5 held under SN 8394
• linked Health Administrative Datasets (Hospital Episode Statistics) for England for years 2000-2019 held under SN 9030
• linked Hospital of Birth data held under SN 5724.

The linked education administrative datasets held under SNs 8481,7414 and 9085 may be ordered alongside the MCS detailed geographical identifier files only if sufficient justification is provided in the application.

Researchers applying for access to the Secure Access MCS datasets should indicate on their ESRC Accredited Researcher application form the EUL dataset(s) that they also wish to access (selected from the MCS Series Access web page).

The seventh sweep of the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS7) was carried out when the cohort members were 17 years old. As 17 is a key transitional age, the sweep purposefully focused on engaging with the cohort members themselves (in addition to their parents). MCS7 marks an important transitional time in the cohort members' lives, where educational and occupational paths can diverge significantly. It is also an important age in data collection terms since it may be the last sweep at which parents are interviewed and it is an age when direct engagement with the cohort members themselves rather than their families is crucial to the long term viability of the study. To reflect this, face-to-face interviews with the cohort members have been conducted for the first time. Cohort members were also asked to do a range of other activities including filling in a self-completion questionnaire on the interviewer's tablet, completing a cognitive assessment (number activity) and having their height, weight and body fat measurements taken. In addition, they were asked to complete a short online questionnaire after the visit.

Parents were still interviewed at MCS7. Resident parents were asked to complete a household interview and a short online questionnaire, and one parent was asked to complete a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) about the cohort member. Cohort members who were either unable or unwilling to complete the main survey were asked to complete a short follow up questionnaire online after the fieldwork finished. This contained some key questions and was designed to boost response and maintain engagement.

For the second edition (March 2021), two new data files have been added (mcs7_cm_qualifications and mcs7_parent_derived), and five existing data files have been updated (mcs7_cm_derived, mcs7_cm_interview, mcs7_hhgrid, mcs7_parent_cm_interview, cs7_parent_interview). In addition the User Guide, the Derived Variables User Guide and the Longitudinal Data Dictionary have all been updated.

In 2023, approximately 59 percent of males and 55 percent of females that were aged 20 still lived with their parents in the United Kingdom. In the same year, 47 percent of males and 29 percent of females who were 25 lived with their parents, while for those aged 30, the percentage was 16 percent for males and just five percent for females.

This report presents findings from the third (wave 3) in a series of follow up reports to the 2017 Mental Health of Children and Young People (MHCYP) survey, conducted in 2022. The sample includes 2,866 of the children and young people who took part in the MHCYP 2017 survey. The mental health of children and young people aged 7 to 24 years living in England in 2022 is examined, as well as their household circumstances, and their experiences of education, employment and services and of life in their families and communities. Comparisons are made with 2017, 2020 (wave 1) and 2021 (wave 2), where possible, to monitor changes over time.

This is the number of 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), expressed as a proportion of the number of 16 and 17 year olds known to the local authority (i.e. those who were educated in government-funded schools). Young adult offenders in custody are excluded from the denominator used to calculate participation, NEET and not known rates. The age of the learner is measured at the beginning of the academic year, 31 August. The annual figure is made from an average of December, January and February. This includes young people educated in other authority areas, students living away during term time. Young people who were not educated in the maintained sector will only be included if they are known to the LA. Since April 2018, the NCCIS management information requirement stated that LAs should record the activity of refugee/asylum seekers in the same way as the rest of the cohort. Prior to 2016 local authorities were required to also track 18 year olds but this requirement was lifted. Where a young person's current activity is recorded as any of the following then their activity at the end of the month is categorised as NEET: Working not for rewardNot yet ready for work or learningStart date agreed (RPA compliant or Other)Seeking employment, education or trainingNot available to labour market/learning - carer, teenage parent, illness, pregnancy, religious grounds, unlikely ever to be economically active. The following are included in the overall NEET/NK figures: Current situation not knownCannot be contacted/no current addressRefused to disclose activity.Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

This is the number of 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) or their activity is not known, expressed as a proportion of the number of 16 and 17 year olds known to the local authority (i.e. those who were educated in government-funded schools). Young adult offenders in custody are excluded from the denominator used to calculate participation, NEET and not known rates. The age of the learner is measured at the beginning of the academic year, 31 August. The annual figure is made from an average of December, January and February. This includes young people educated in other authority areas, students living away during term time. Young people who were not educated in the maintained sector will only be included if they are known to the LA. Since April 2018, the NCCIS management information requirement stated that LAs should record the activity of refugee/asylum seekers in the same way as the rest of the cohort. Prior to 2016 local authorities were required to also track 18 year olds but this requirement was lifted. Where a young person's current activity is recorded as any of the following then their activity at the end of the month is categorised as NEET: Working not for rewardNot yet ready for work or learningStart date agreed (RPA compliant or Other)Seeking employment, education or trainingNot available to labour market/learning - carer, teenage parent, illness, pregnancy, religious grounds, unlikely ever to be economically active. The following are included in the overall NEET/NK figures: Current situation not knownCannot be contacted/no current addressRefused to disclose activity.Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

Antibody data, by UK country and age, from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey.

Principal projection for the UK - population by five-year age groups and sex.

According to the 2021 Census, 62.9% (37.5 million) of the overall population of England and Wales was of ‘working age’ (between 16 and 64 years old).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks a sole adult in a random sample of households about their, or their household's, experience of crime victimisation in the previous 12 months. These are recorded in the victim form data file (VF). A wide range of questions are then asked, covering demographics and crime-related subjects such as attitudes to the police and the criminal justice system (CJS). These variables are contained within the non-victim form (NVF) data file. In 2009, the survey was extended to children aged 10-15 years old; one resident of that age range was also selected from the household and asked about their experience of crime and other related topics. The first set of children's data covered January-December 2009 and is held separately under SN 6601. From 2009-2010, the children's data cover the same period as the adult data and are included with the main study.

The Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW) became operational on 20 May 2020. It was a replacement for the face-to-face CSEW, which was suspended on 17 March 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It was set up with the intention of measuring the level of crime during the pandemic. As the pandemic continued throughout the 2020/21 survey year, questions have been raised as to whether the year ending March 2021 TCSEW is comparable with estimates produced in earlier years by the face-to-face CSEW. The ONS Comparability between the Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales and the face-to-face Crime Survey for England and Wales report explores those factors that may have a bearing on the comparability of estimates between the TCSEW and the former CSEW. These include survey design, sample design, questionnaire changes and modal changes.

More general information about the CSEW may be found on the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales web page and for the previous BCS, from the GOV.UK BCS Methodology web page.

History - the British Crime Survey

The CSEW was formerly known as the British Crime Survey (BCS), and has been in existence since 1981. The 1982 and 1988 BCS waves were also conducted in Scotland (data held separately under SNs 4368 and 4599). Since 1993, separate Scottish Crime and Justice Surveys have been conducted. Up to 2001, the BCS was conducted biennially. From April 2001, the Office for National Statistics took over the survey and it became the CSEW. Interviewing was then carried out continually and reported on in financial year cycles. The crime reference period was altered to accommodate this.

Secure Access CSEW data
In addition to the main survey, a series of questions covering drinking behaviour, drug use, self-offending, gangs and personal security, and intimate personal violence (IPV) (including stalking and sexual victimisation) are asked of adults via a laptop-based self-completion module (questions may vary over the years). Children aged 10-15 years also complete a separate self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaires are included in the main documentation, but the data are only available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7280), not with the main study. In addition, from 2011 onwards, lower-level geographic variables are also available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7311).

New methodology for capping the number of incidents from 2017-18
The CSEW datasets available from 2017-18 onwards are based on a new methodology of capping the number of incidents at the 98th percentile. Incidence variables names have remained consistent with previously supplied data but due to the fact they are based on the new 98th percentile cap, and old datasets are not, comparability has been lost with years prior to 2012-2013. More information can be found in the 2017-18 User Guide (see SN 8464) and the article ‘Improving victimisation estimates derived from the Crime Survey for England and Wales’.

The self-completion modules on drinking behaviour, drugs and stolen goods are subject to restrictive controlled data access conditions - see SN 7280.

CSEW Historic back series – dataset update (March 2022)

From January 2019, all releases of crime statistics using CSEW data adopted a new methodology for measuring repeat victimisation (moving from a cap of 5 in the number of repeat incidents to tracking the 98th percentile value for major crime types).

To maintain a consistent approach across historic data, all datasets back to 2001 have been revised to the new methodology. The change affects all incident data and related fields. A “bolt-on” version of the data has been created for the 2001/02 to 2011/12 datasets. This “bolt-on” dataset contains only variables previously supplied impacted by the change in methodology. These datasets can be merged onto the existing BCS...

The proportion of young people reaching the level 2 and level 3 threshold by age 16, age 17, age 18, age 19 and age 20 in each area Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Publisher: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Geographies: Local Authority District (LAD), Learnings and Skills Council (LSC) Geographic coverage: England Type of data: Administrative data Notes: Data is based on where the pupils go to school rather than where they live. The dataset is made up of PLASC (pupil level annual school census) data collected by DfES, ILR (individual learner record) data from the LSC and awarding body data. A learner is defined as having reached the level 2 threshold if they have achieved 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent. A learner is defined as having reached the level 3 threshold if they have achieved the equivalent of 4 AS / 2 A-levels

According to a survey of parents and children in the UK conducted in 2024, ** percent of children between 16 and 17 years old owned a smartphone, while ** percent of respondents aged between ***** and **** did not have a mobile phone.

Electronic devices available to children Mobile phones are not the only devices children are exposed to daily. At home, indeed, they have access to all kinds of electronic devices, such as TVs, gaming consoles, and radios. For instance, in 2020, ** percent of children had access to a smart TV, and ** percent had a game console. Furthermore, ** percent of children in the UK had access to a PC, laptop, or netbook with an internet connection. Children’s online activities British children perform many different activities online, with mobile phones being the most used devices to go online. Among the most recurring online activities were playing games and watching videos, especially on YouTube. Furthermore, children in the UK appear to spend quite some time on social media platforms, like TikTok and Snapchat, where they spend on average ** and ** minutes daily, respectively.

Annual data on death registrations by single year of age for the UK (1974 onwards) and England and Wales (1963 onwards).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Young Life and Times Survey (YLT) originally began as a companion survey to the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey (NILT) series. It surveyed young people aged 12-17 living in the households of adults interviewed for NILT, and YLT ran alongside it from 1998-2000. Following an evaluation in 2001, the YLT series recommenced in 2003 (see SN 4826) using a completely different methodology and independent of the adult NILT. This new YLT survey uses Child Benefit records as a sampling frame.

The aims of the YLT series are to:

• monitor public attitudes towards social policy and political issues in Northern Ireland;
• provide a time series on attitudes to key social policy areas;
• facilitate academic social policy analysis; provide a freely available resource on public attitudes for the wider community of users in Northern Ireland;
• give a voice to young people.

An open access time-series teaching dataset has been created from the 2003-2012 YLTs - see SN 7548.

The Kids’ Life and Times (KLT) survey of P7 children (10-11 year olds) is also part of the same suite of surveys as YLT and NILT.

Further information about the YLT, including publications, may be found on the Access Research Knowledge (ARK) YLT webpages.

In 2022 all 16-year-olds who celebrated their 16th birthday in January, February or March 2022 were invited to take part. YLT is part of a suite of surveys, which also includes the Kids’ Life and Times (KLT) survey of P7 children (10-11 year olds) and the Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey of adults (18 years +).

Main Topics:

In 2022 the following topics were included in the survey: Background; Community Relations (including minority ethnic groups) - funded by the Executive Office (TEO previously the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister); Gender-based Violence – funded by the Executive Office (TEO); Safety and Attitudes to Paramilitaries – funded by the Department of Justice (DoJ); Shared Education and Community Relations, Equality and Diversity Education – funded by the Department of Education (DE); Politics funded by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant held at QUB; Support and Confidence in Career Choices – funded by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS).

The number of Instagram users in the United Kingdom was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2028 by in total 2.1 million users (+7.02 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the Instagram user base is estimated to reach 32 million users and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the number of Instagram users of was continuously increasing over the past years.User figures, shown here with regards to the platform instagram, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period and count multiple accounts by persons only once.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).