New analysis demonstrating the unique and irreplaceable role the BBC plays to inform, educate and entertain children across the UK, has been released. As the most trusted media organisation among children, parents and teachers, the BBC continues to provide safe, high quality, age appropriate content at a time when the online environment is becoming increasingly fragmented, commercialised and risky for young people.

The report warns of an alarming decline in UK made children’s content and growing pressures on the wider children’s media sector. Calling for specific policy interventions to secure the future of the sector and significant impact on future generations careers, success, wellbeing and happiness, as the BBC services also deliver measurable social and economic value for the UK.

The report also indicates across news, education and entertainment, the BBC reaches millions of children every week. This reach and universal availability ensures that children from all backgrounds have access to trusted information, culturally relevant storytelling and curriculum aligned learning resources.

Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s & Education, says: “The impact we make in children’s lives and with their families is clear. And our ambition is simple: every child – wherever they live, whatever their background – should have access to trusted news, world class educational support and joyful, meaningful entertainment that reflects the UK’s diversity and creativity. To deliver that, we need a sustainable future for the wider children’s media sector.

“Without specific action, there is a real danger that the next generation will grow up without the culturally rooted, educationally rich and imaginative content they deserve. The BBC is working hard to meet their needs. But we cannot do it alone.”

HM4

A trusted lifeline for young people

The report reveals significant social and economic impact of BBC Children’s and Education:

Newsround helps young audiences make sense of complex and sometimes frightening world events, reaching 3.5 million* children weekly during term time and remaining the most trusted news source for 7-12 year olds.
BBC Bitesize is the UK’s most trusted educational brand**, supporting children in every nation and subject area. It reaches more than half of all 4-15s weekly and contributes to improved exam performance worth over £80 million in long-term economic benefits.
Increased social mobility*** for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who take part in BBC educational campaigns. Children who received free school meals were more likely to end up in higher income (ABC1) groups as adults (58%) than those who didn’t take part in educational campaigns (38%).
Television programmes across CBBC and CBeebies reflect children’s communities, ambitions and identities – nurturing informed citizens, confident learners and creative, curious young people.
Cultural wellbeing benefits worth over £43 million annually, driven by children’s engagement with BBC arts, music and storytelling content.
The BBC is the UK’s largest commissioner of original children’s programming, and this ecosystem supports 1,275 jobs in the UK production sector, with 85% of commissioning spend directed outside London.

A sector under pressure

Despite its impact, the children’s media sector faces major challenges. Investment by UK public service broadcasters (PSBs) in children’s content has fallen sharply. Channel 4 has not commissioned a children’s programme for decades; ITV has closed its children’s channel and stopped commissioning; and Channel 5’s children’s output remains smaller than the BBC’s and focused on preschool.

Commercial broadcasters are not filling the gap, with Sky Kids recently ending their original children’s commissioning. Global streaming services are inconsistent in commissioning UK-originated children’s content, and inflation in production costs is placing further pressure on domestic supply. At the same time, Licence Fee revenue has declined in real terms, making it harder for the BBC to sustain the level of investment required for a thriving production ecosystem.

Policy action needed to secure the future of UK children’s content

Without intervention, the UK risks losing culturally important content that reflects children’s lives and supports national outcomes in education, wellbeing and cohesion. The BBC is calling for targeted action to strengthen the children’s media ecosystem, including:

Modernised prominence rules to ensure UK children’s content can be easily discovered across platforms dominated by global providers.
Support for trusted news, ensuring that impartial, age appropriate journalism is promoted on the platforms young people use most.
Investment in UK storytelling, including enhancing the Children’s Television Tax Credit Relief and ensuring sustainable funding for the BBC.
Stronger partnerships, enabling PSBs, commercial broadcasters, streamers and screen agencies to collaborate and co-commission content at scale.

Key statistics

1,275 UK jobs supported in children’s TV production
4x more commissioned hours of children’s TV by the BBC than all other UK PSBs, commercial broadcasters and global SVODs combined
85% of BBC children’s TV investment spent outside London
£43m wellbeing value annually for children aged 10–14
89% of parents, whose children use BBC,** surveyed say BBC children’s content supports their child’s learning
£80m economic benefit annually from Bitesize
No. 1 trusted education brand (Bitesize)
Increased social mobility*** for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who use BBC services
No. 1 trusted news brand** for children and parents
78%** of parents surveyed rate Newsround as good or very good at providing suitable news for their child.

The report was prepared in house by economists within BBC Policy and Public Affairs, the report draws on stakeholder interviews, BBC commissioned research on parents’ and children’s views, economic evidence from academic and industry publications, and wider desk research. It examines the BBC’s role and impact across entertainment, education and news.

BBC commissioned research:

* Estimate based on web traffic to the Newsround ‘watch bulletin’ on newsround.co.uk during term time and school

**Data from a nationally representative survey of 2,502 parents / guardians of children aged 0-16 conducted by DJS Research in January 2026.

***Data from a survey of 3,000 16-34 year olds in the UK, conducted by Beano Brain, commissioned April in 2025.

*** hours (8-4pm to incorporate viewing in breakfast clubs and after school care). Multiplied by average class size (27 – Department for Education, school census)

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