Revealing Reality: Digital Lives
@revealingreality.bsky.social
Research-driven insights on online behaviours, tech innovation, youth media engagement and digital safety.
We've been highlighting the issue of children interacting freely with adults on Roblox since April.
Our investigation of Roblox's new safety features in September revealed the problem persisted.
Our investigation of Roblox's new safety features in September revealed the problem persisted.
November 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
We've been highlighting the issue of children interacting freely with adults on Roblox since April.
Our investigation of Roblox's new safety features in September revealed the problem persisted.
Our investigation of Roblox's new safety features in September revealed the problem persisted.
"My avatar is cyberbullied, aggressively killed, sexually assaulted and shat on - all with parental control settings in place".
The experience of Australian reporter, Sarah Martin, comes as no surprise to us.
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
The experience of Australian reporter, Sarah Martin, comes as no surprise to us.
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
My chilling week on Roblox: sexually assaulted and shat on as a child avatar roaming the online world
In seven days my young alter ego is cyberbullied and attacked while exploring clubs, casinos and horror games, all with parental controls in place. Is the platform safe for children – or an ‘X-rated p...
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:04 PM
"My avatar is cyberbullied, aggressively killed, sexually assaulted and shat on - all with parental control settings in place".
The experience of Australian reporter, Sarah Martin, comes as no surprise to us.
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
The experience of Australian reporter, Sarah Martin, comes as no surprise to us.
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
Reposted by Revealing Reality: Digital Lives
In a new guest post on the Ada blog, @revealingreality.bsky.social looks at the commercialisation of childhood through play and entertainment platforms over the last decade — from influencer sponsorship to product placement and in-app stores.
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/the-val...
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/the-val...
The value of childhood
The commercialisation of children's play and entertainment on data-driven platforms
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org
November 4, 2025 at 10:44 AM
In a new guest post on the Ada blog, @revealingreality.bsky.social looks at the commercialisation of childhood through play and entertainment platforms over the last decade — from influencer sponsorship to product placement and in-app stores.
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/the-val...
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/the-val...
@mollyroseorg.bsky.social commissioned us to investigate children's online exposure to harmful content.
revealingreality.co.uk/suicide-self...
revealingreality.co.uk/suicide-self...
Suicide, self-harm, depression and eating disorders: what children encounter online in a week - Revealing Reality
At Revealing Reality, we explore what life online looks like through children’s eyes – talking to them, analysing their social media feeds, and stepping into their digital worlds through avatars. And ...
revealingreality.co.uk
October 16, 2025 at 2:27 PM
@mollyroseorg.bsky.social commissioned us to investigate children's online exposure to harmful content.
revealingreality.co.uk/suicide-self...
revealingreality.co.uk/suicide-self...
Egg monsters. Multiplying kittens. Too many fingers. AI-generated content was surreal & instantly recognisable as artificial.
It's moved on.
Now it's creating caricatures of Britain: our towns, our politics, our divisions.
This is AI Britain: think.revealingreality.co.uk/ai-britain
It's moved on.
Now it's creating caricatures of Britain: our towns, our politics, our divisions.
This is AI Britain: think.revealingreality.co.uk/ai-britain
AI Britain - Think RR
think.revealingreality.co.uk
October 7, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Egg monsters. Multiplying kittens. Too many fingers. AI-generated content was surreal & instantly recognisable as artificial.
It's moved on.
Now it's creating caricatures of Britain: our towns, our politics, our divisions.
This is AI Britain: think.revealingreality.co.uk/ai-britain
It's moved on.
Now it's creating caricatures of Britain: our towns, our politics, our divisions.
This is AI Britain: think.revealingreality.co.uk/ai-britain
4 months ago, our investigation into Roblox revealed adults & children mixing freely, with sexually explicit content easily accessible to young users. Roblox has since rolled out a number of updates. We’ve returned to the platform to explore the changes: think.revealingreality.co.uk/roblox-updated
Roblox - the update — Think RR
think.revealingreality.co.uk
September 25, 2025 at 11:43 AM
4 months ago, our investigation into Roblox revealed adults & children mixing freely, with sexually explicit content easily accessible to young users. Roblox has since rolled out a number of updates. We’ve returned to the platform to explore the changes: think.revealingreality.co.uk/roblox-updated
Children’s Data Lives, commissioned by @infocommission.bsky.social, is now in its second year. It tracks a cohort of children to uncover how their experiences are shaped by data-driven digital design and what this means for their evolving relationship with data:
How data shapes children’s digital lives - Revealing Reality
Much is said about what children do and watch online. We’ve had the privilege of spending years observing children’s online experiences – watching digital trends come and go – short-lived fads, smar...
revealingreality.co.uk
August 11, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Children’s Data Lives, commissioned by @infocommission.bsky.social, is now in its second year. It tracks a cohort of children to uncover how their experiences are shaped by data-driven digital design and what this means for their evolving relationship with data:
"I could be going out with my friends but I'm stuck in my room watching TikTok"
But what happens when children give up their smartphone? That's what 32 children did at Ecclesfield School. Follow the link below to watch our short film and find out more.
think.revealingreality.co.uk/why-dont-you
But what happens when children give up their smartphone? That's what 32 children did at Ecclesfield School. Follow the link below to watch our short film and find out more.
think.revealingreality.co.uk/why-dont-you
Why don't you? — Think RR
think.revealingreality.co.uk
July 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
"I could be going out with my friends but I'm stuck in my room watching TikTok"
But what happens when children give up their smartphone? That's what 32 children did at Ecclesfield School. Follow the link below to watch our short film and find out more.
think.revealingreality.co.uk/why-dont-you
But what happens when children give up their smartphone? That's what 32 children did at Ecclesfield School. Follow the link below to watch our short film and find out more.
think.revealingreality.co.uk/why-dont-you
When Ecclesfield School approached us about their trial of 32 pupils giving up their smartphones entirely for 3-weeks, we jumped at the chance to visit and find out more - documenting the experiences of the children, parents and teachers involved on film: think.revealingreality.co.uk/why-dont-you/
Does a school smartphone ban make a difference?
How did pupils and staff at a secondary school get on without smartphones in a three-week trial?
www.bbc.co.uk
July 21, 2025 at 11:28 AM
When Ecclesfield School approached us about their trial of 32 pupils giving up their smartphones entirely for 3-weeks, we jumped at the chance to visit and find out more - documenting the experiences of the children, parents and teachers involved on film: think.revealingreality.co.uk/why-dont-you/
This marks the 11th wave of our longitudinal study for
@ofcom.bsky.social, where we track the evolving landscape of children’s media lives, and the continued blurring of boundaries between the online and offline. We've made a summary of the report's key findings: think.revealingreality.co.uk/cml11
@ofcom.bsky.social, where we track the evolving landscape of children’s media lives, and the continued blurring of boundaries between the online and offline. We've made a summary of the report's key findings: think.revealingreality.co.uk/cml11
Children's Media Lives: Wave 11 — Think RR
think.revealingreality.co.uk
May 8, 2025 at 1:02 PM
This marks the 11th wave of our longitudinal study for
@ofcom.bsky.social, where we track the evolving landscape of children’s media lives, and the continued blurring of boundaries between the online and offline. We've made a summary of the report's key findings: think.revealingreality.co.uk/cml11
@ofcom.bsky.social, where we track the evolving landscape of children’s media lives, and the continued blurring of boundaries between the online and offline. We've made a summary of the report's key findings: think.revealingreality.co.uk/cml11
Our latest deep dive into Roblox has uncovered key child safety gaps. Associate Director
@hannahestcourt.bsky.social explained our findings today on BBC Woman's Hour (starts 11min50seconds)
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
@hannahestcourt.bsky.social explained our findings today on BBC Woman's Hour (starts 11min50seconds)
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Woman's Hour - Supreme Court Judgement, Roblox, Novelist Stephanie Yeboah, Singer/songwriter Georgia Crandon - BBC Sounds
Joshua Rozenburg on the Supreme Court's judgement on the legal definition of a woman.
www.bbc.co.uk
April 17, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Our latest deep dive into Roblox has uncovered key child safety gaps. Associate Director
@hannahestcourt.bsky.social explained our findings today on BBC Woman's Hour (starts 11min50seconds)
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
@hannahestcourt.bsky.social explained our findings today on BBC Woman's Hour (starts 11min50seconds)
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Our exploration into Roblox shows that despite recent updates to safety measures, simple workarounds remain - allowing for contact details to be shared and interactions between children and adults to be taken off-platform.
April 16, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Our exploration into Roblox shows that despite recent updates to safety measures, simple workarounds remain - allowing for contact details to be shared and interactions between children and adults to be taken off-platform.
Our exploration into Roblox revealed that experience descriptions can mislead, and maturity labels don't always align with content, potentially exposing children to adult themes. Our 10-year-old avatar witnessed the following:
April 15, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Our exploration into Roblox revealed that experience descriptions can mislead, and maturity labels don't always align with content, potentially exposing children to adult themes. Our 10-year-old avatar witnessed the following:
If you are a parent and your child is playing on Roblox, take a look at our guide that explains some of the risks on the platform and where the safety features fall short. You might be shocked by the things we’ve found: think.revealingreality.co.uk/roblox-real-...
Roblox — Think RR
think.revealingreality.co.uk
April 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
If you are a parent and your child is playing on Roblox, take a look at our guide that explains some of the risks on the platform and where the safety features fall short. You might be shocked by the things we’ve found: think.revealingreality.co.uk/roblox-real-...
Would you let your 5-year-old chat to a 42-year-old stranger in the real world? The Guardian has shared our latest research showing how children and adults can freely interact on Roblox, one of the most popular virtual playgrounds for children:
April 14, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Would you let your 5-year-old chat to a 42-year-old stranger in the real world? The Guardian has shared our latest research showing how children and adults can freely interact on Roblox, one of the most popular virtual playgrounds for children:
Our recent work on ASMR has been shared in this month's edition of More than Robots - a great source of up to date research and info on how tech is impacting people's lives.
More Than Robots April edition / available now / A gambol around the #digital #youth #equity Venn
Ft: @digitalwellnesslab.bsky.social @revealingreality.bsky.social @internetmatters.bsky.social @maevewalsh.bsky.social @kamranabbasi.bsky.social and many more
www.morethanrobots.org.uk/more-than-ro...
Ft: @digitalwellnesslab.bsky.social @revealingreality.bsky.social @internetmatters.bsky.social @maevewalsh.bsky.social @kamranabbasi.bsky.social and many more
www.morethanrobots.org.uk/more-than-ro...
🤡 More Than Robots #88 April 2025
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
There's still a lot going on, and it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. So on we go...
www.morethanrobots.org.uk
April 11, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Our recent work on ASMR has been shared in this month's edition of More than Robots - a great source of up to date research and info on how tech is impacting people's lives.
Alice Thomson, writing for The Times on our recent ASMR research, describes ASMR videos as ‘visual and aural pacifiers’ for anxious young people.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Demystify the workplace for anxious Gen Z
Unhappy and jobless young people need work experience and careers advice if they are to escape the benefits trap
www.thetimes.com
March 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Alice Thomson, writing for The Times on our recent ASMR research, describes ASMR videos as ‘visual and aural pacifiers’ for anxious young people.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
"We all get calm and comfort from different things ... but we’re creatures who need physical connection; we’re mammals, primates". www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Many young people find safety in the soothing world of ASMR – imagine if we could give them that in the real world | Emma Beddington
ASMR videos can mimic the feeling of physical touch, which a study has found is popular with young consumers. But how many intimate gestures of love, care and connection are they missing out on, asks ...
www.theguardian.com
March 17, 2025 at 4:28 PM
"We all get calm and comfort from different things ... but we’re creatures who need physical connection; we’re mammals, primates". www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What are the implications of allowing adults and children mix freely on Roblox, the hugely popular gaming platform? Watch our film to see what we found:
March 11, 2025 at 1:06 PM
What are the implications of allowing adults and children mix freely on Roblox, the hugely popular gaming platform? Watch our film to see what we found:
What happens when adults and children share a virtual playground? Our latest work explores the world of Roblox. We set up a 42-year-old avatar, who observed interactions but didn't speak to users. What we uncovered was troubling. Click here to see what we found: think.revealingreality.co.uk/roblox
Think RR
think.revealingreality.co.uk
March 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
What happens when adults and children share a virtual playground? Our latest work explores the world of Roblox. We set up a 42-year-old avatar, who observed interactions but didn't speak to users. What we uncovered was troubling. Click here to see what we found: think.revealingreality.co.uk/roblox
Thanks @jacksayspurple.bsky.social for covering our latest research- our researchers found watching all the ASMR videos eye-opening too. It seemed curious that something so popular, and yet quite strange, was not being more widely commented on.
Inspired by the brilliant and revealing @revealingreality.bsky.social report about the rise of ASMR, I spent last week watching a TONNE of ASMR videos to try to get to the bottom of what Gen Z see in it all! www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03...
Why thousands of people are watching videos of someone squeezing slime
Videos that trigger what is known as the autonomous sensory meridian response are fast becoming Gen Z’s favourite way to switch off
www.telegraph.co.uk
March 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Thanks @jacksayspurple.bsky.social for covering our latest research- our researchers found watching all the ASMR videos eye-opening too. It seemed curious that something so popular, and yet quite strange, was not being more widely commented on.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03... What is the impact of replacing genuine human connection with technological substitutes? Our latest research has been covered by @telegraphnews.bsky.social. You can explore the full report here: think.revealingreality.co.uk/asmr-landing...
Why thousands of people are watching videos of someone squeezing slime
Videos that trigger what is known as the autonomous sensory meridian response are fast becoming Gen Z’s favourite way to switch off
www.telegraph.co.uk
March 10, 2025 at 3:04 PM
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03... What is the impact of replacing genuine human connection with technological substitutes? Our latest research has been covered by @telegraphnews.bsky.social. You can explore the full report here: think.revealingreality.co.uk/asmr-landing...
What do we lose when we use technology as a substitute for fundamental human needs? Explore our latest research here: think.revealingreality.co.uk/asmr-page1
March 3, 2025 at 6:01 PM
What do we lose when we use technology as a substitute for fundamental human needs? Explore our latest research here: think.revealingreality.co.uk/asmr-page1
Reposted by Revealing Reality: Digital Lives
Is ASMR is “like digital soma” for younger adults in a state of permanent overwhelm?
Please take a moment to read about this thoughtful report from @revealingreality.bsky.social about what online self-soothing does for our capacity to build resilience
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Please take a moment to read about this thoughtful report from @revealingreality.bsky.social about what online self-soothing does for our capacity to build resilience
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Young adults increasingly struggling offline turn to ASMR videos, report finds
Visceral videos of people playing with slime or braiding hair soothe those who feel overwhelmed by in-person contact
www.theguardian.com
March 3, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Is ASMR is “like digital soma” for younger adults in a state of permanent overwhelm?
Please take a moment to read about this thoughtful report from @revealingreality.bsky.social about what online self-soothing does for our capacity to build resilience
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Please take a moment to read about this thoughtful report from @revealingreality.bsky.social about what online self-soothing does for our capacity to build resilience
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Are we losing what it means to be human by embracing technology over genuine real-world connection? @theguardian.com has shared our latest research today.
Young adults increasingly struggling offline turn to ASMR videos, report finds
Young adults increasingly struggling offline turn to ASMR videos, report finds
Visceral videos of people playing with slime or braiding hair soothe those who feel overwhelmed by in-person contact
Younger adults are increasingly overwhelmed by in-person interaction and soothing themselves instead with sensory online content,…
www.theguardian.com
March 2, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Are we losing what it means to be human by embracing technology over genuine real-world connection? @theguardian.com has shared our latest research today.