The Children’s Media Summit ’26
Background to the Event
In 2024 the Children’s Media Summit identified key issues which the children’s advocacy community and the children’s media industry believed should be put to regulators, policy makers and government. The Summit was a reaction to the significant shift in children’s viewing from linear channels to online viewing and to social gaming. As YouTube, TikTok and Roblox dominate young people’s attention, problems arise as to what they are experiencing on the new platforms, how that content is served to them, and how their relationship with more traditional forms – particularly public service content – is diminishing.
Younger children are being served huge volumes of content with little variation in style or approach, older children and teens’ viewing is dominated by content which has little cultural relevance, does little to help them engage with the societies in which they live or reflect their concerns, and which is algorithmically served to maximise attention – often through promotion of conflict or extremes. There is no prominence on these platforms for public service content. There is no standard of journalism, which on other services is regulated.
At the same time the new platforms do little to support the production of high-value content in any genre. Revenue from advertising on the new platforms is restricted, and apart from public service budgets there is little “up-front” investment in content. The former eco-system is broken and not currently being replaced.
Summit 2026 – Purpose
Children’s Media Summit 2026 sought consensus from industry professionals, the maker community and advocates for children’s well-being on restoring young people’s access to stimulating, entertaining, educational and inspiring content. It explored the potential for change in the way algorithms work to improve the viewing experience and considered the potential for regulation to enforce change if needed. It also explored ways in which commercial and public funding could be increased to support investment in projects of personal and public value that can find an audience on the new platforms – practical ways of achieving improvements in Funding and Finding – the two issues identified at the previous Summit.
Representatives of the new platforms, the regulator and government attended the event. The outcomes will form the basis of CMF’s future policy submissions.
Click here to see the timetable for the day.
