Experiences of children encountering online content promoting eating disorders, self-harm and suicide

Ofcom has a requirement for evidence-based research on priority content as set out in the Online Safety Bill (content promoting eating disorders, self-harm and suicide) to inform its policies for the forthcoming bill.

The research aims to understand: - Where this content exists online - The pathways/journeys to encountering this content online (including the impact of the different platforms/functionalities) - Perceptions towards mitigations, including attitudes and experiences of current features, what works, what doesn't and to identify any suggested potential future mitigations.

The findings will help to contribute in our ability to set out the systems and processes that services need to implement to protect children from experiencing harmful content.