Almost one in three households with minors uses parental control tools on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or Twitch, according to data from the competition and markets authority of the Spanish Government, CNMC. For on-demand services like Netflix and Amazon, the figure is similar.

Violent content is what most worries households with children between 0 and 6 years old; while dangerous behaviours, which can be imitated by minors, are the type of content that generates the most concern among households with children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Although the majority of households are aware of the tools that block or filter the audiovisual content that minors see (74% of households with minor children or who regularly take care of minors), there are still few who use them, according to the data from the latest CNMC Household Panel for the second quarter of 2022.

Among households with minors who are aware of these tools, the use of parental control is more common when we talk about video sharing platforms (Youtube, Twitch, TikTok, IGTV) and video on demand services (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO), content for which just over 30% of these households use parental control tools. On the other hand, when it comes to content on television, especially free-to-air, this percentage drops to 12.2%.

Concern about the exposure of minors to audiovisual content that harms their physical and mental development continues to be high. Depending on the age of the minors, the reason for concern changes slightly. Violent content is what most worries households with children between 0 and 6 years old; while dangerous behaviours, which can be imitated by minors, are the type of content that generates the most concern among households with children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Almost 9 out of 10 households with minor children or that usually take care of minors declared knowing that there are child protection schedules on television. This is the best-known form of protection, surpassing other forms of knowledge such as the use of means to filter or block content, which can be used for both television content and Internet content.

It is also noteworthy that more than 75% of households with minor children or that usually take care of minors, do not know the ways to claim or protest about audiovisual content for children and adolescents.

Thus, only 4% of households with minors and who were aware of this possibility have complained/protested in the last two years about audiovisual content for children and adolescents.

The CNMC has a channel enabled to report content that does not respect audiovisual regulations:  the form for submitting complaints about audiovisual content is a mailbox for any natural or legal person to report or complain about national programs or advertisements.

You can find out more about how to complain about audiovisual content, and make a complaint, vis the CNMC portal, https://sede.cnmc.gob.es/tramites/audiovisual/quejas-o-denuncias-sobre-contenidos-audiovisuales

Methodology

These results are part of the CNMC Household Panel, a six-monthly survey of households and individuals. The CNMC intends to collect information directly from citizens through surveys and analysis of utility bills. The study is multisectoral in nature and collects data relating to the telecommunications, audiovisual, energy, postal and transport markets, among others. The survey of this wave was carried out in the second quarter of 2022 and included 5,117 households and 8,560 individuals. This tool provides extensive and diverse information, and allows the CNMC to better understand the point of view of consumers.