CMF Response to the Ofcom Review of the Future of Public Service Media
July 22nd 2025
The Children’s Media Foundation welcomes Ofcom’s Review of the Future of Public Service Media. It’s clear the regulator has listened to CMF and other organisations, that have been warning for some time about the implications of changing viewing patterns amongst young people, patterns now evident for the mainstream audience, as predicted.
The power of the video sharing platforms is an issue:
- For the young people viewing on unregulated platforms.
- For society, as too often these platforms promote misinformation and disinformation with potentially damaging consequences, while failing to support content made with young people’s well-being, cultural connection, social engagement and education in mind.
- For the future of public service media, as the connection with the audience is broken.
Ofcom has reflected our thinking in their recommendations to government.
On FINDING Ofcom has stated:
“As a priority, public service broadcasters should work urgently with YouTube, to ensure that PSM content is prominent and easy to find on the platforms, and on fair commercial terms. This is particularly important for news and children’s content, and we believe there is a strong case for Government to legislate to enable the change.”
CMF has long advocated it’s time for the VSPs to step up to their responsibilities to the audience they have captured, and to society. If they fail to change, government must regulate. We believe, as a matter of urgency, as the evidence of societal change becomes ever-more apparent, YouTube should consider how algorithms for search and recommendation can work to offer greater prominence to content that is age-appropriate, of cultural relevance, enhances well-being, fosters engagement with society, is positive but also challenging and entertaining. In short – public service values that are not currently supported by the algorithms.
On FUNDING, Ofcom has stated:
“Additional public funding will be necessary to support specific genres, as advocated for by industry, is for the Government to consider. We recommend that priority be given to socially valuable but commercially less viable genres, such as news, local news and children’s content.”
The Children’s Media Summit in 2024 called for a return to additional funding to support the production of high-value content for children with depth of meaning and purpose, qualities that are too often lacking in the high-volume content frequently surfaced by VSP algorithms. The lack of assured funding on the new platforms for high-value content is damaging the entire children’s media eco-system worldwide – and, in the end, this also damages children. We maintain that a “younger audiences levy” on streamers and VSPs, if they fail to voluntarily offer enhanced funding solutions on their platforms – is one way forward.
On MEDIA LITERACY, Ofcom has stated:
“Media literacy skills are essential for using, understanding and navigating digital services, and for critically engaging with news and other content. Everyone has a role to play in media literacy – including Government….
Ofcom will soon publish a ‘statement of recommendations’ under the Online Safety Act, setting out how online services – including social media and video-sharing platforms – should enable media literacy by design.”
CMF has long advocated for more comprehensive media literacy education to respond to the huge shift in the way young people access information. Once again, this should go hand-in-hand with voluntary activity on the part of the new platforms to ensure that content produced with public service standards is made prominent and flagged as trustworthy.
Ofcom’s consideration of the Online Safety Act as a possible mechanism reflects CMF’s frequent plea that Online Safety should progress from regulating against harm to regulating “for good”.
Anna Home, Chair of the Children’s Media Foundation, said:
“At last, the regulator has listened. It’s late in the day and these recommendations should have been part of the Media Act which was passed a year ago. The speed of change has significantly damaged the industry and is continuing to offer children and young people much less that is of value and too much that is of harm. YouTube and other platforms that have captured the hearts and minds of the young now need to acknowledge this and act, and if they don’t then government must take action.”
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