Digital Citizens (Week 04 | 2026): YouTube overtakes the BBC — and what it means for British culture

Welcome back, Digital Citizens! 👋

The platforms we consume shape more than our viewing habits—they shape our culture, our mental models, and even our sense of national identity. This week brought a symbolic watershed moment in British media, fresh evidence challenging conventional wisdom about teenagers and screens, and regulatory action against AI tools that blur ethical lines.

In this week's edition:

• 🚨 YouTube Overtakes the BBC: The End of Broadcast Britain?
• Major Study Challenges Social Media Mental Health Fears
• Ofcom Investigates X Over AI Tool That Digitally Undresses People
• UK Government Abandons Mandatory Digital ID Plans
• Question of the week

🚨 YouTube Overtakes the BBC: The End of Broadcast Britain?

According to figures from BARB, the UK's official ratings body, YouTube reached 51.9 million viewers in December 2025, narrowly surpassing the BBC's 50.8 million across all its channels combined. The measurement, which counts anyone watching for at least three consecutive minutes across TVs, smartphones, and laptops, marks a historic shift. YouTube has beaten the BBC in reach every month since October, when BARB began tracking the platform. The milestone comes as the BBC faces mounting pressure over the future of the licence fee, having lost over £1 billion last year as households cancelled or avoided paying the charge.

Impact

This isn't just about viewing numbers—it's about cultural scaffolding, a term often used in educational psychology to describe the shared reference points that help us make sense of the world and connect with others. When half the country watched the same BBC programmes, it created common ground for conversations, shared values, and a collective British identity. YouTube's algorithmic personalisation does the opposite: it fragments attention, pushing us into increasingly narrow content bubbles. Researchers have linked this kind of algorithmic curation to weakened social cohesion and difficulty finding common ground with people outside our digital circles. Meanwhile, the platform's recommendation systems can create what behavioural scientists term "filter bubbles"—environments where we're exposed primarily to content that reinforces existing beliefs, potentially reducing cognitive flexibility and empathy for different perspectives.

The BBC pushed Patricia Hidalgo, its director of children and education, to advocate for more British content on YouTube as the platform tends to steer young UK viewers toward US-based creators. This creates a concern that Britain’s cultural conversation is being outsourced to an algorithm that is primarily answerable to shareholders, as opposed to public service broadcaster with a remit to serve the whole nation -and is answerable to licence fee payers.

Actions you can take

1. Audit your own media diet: open your YouTube history and ask whether the algorithm is broadening your perspective or narrowing it. Actively seek out diverse viewpoints and British content.
2. If you value public service broadcasting, engage with the BBC's consultation on funding reform and make your voice heard about what kind of media ecosystem you want for the UK.

📖 Read more: Deadline | ITV News

Major Study Challenges Social Media Mental Health Fears

Researchers at the University of Manchester followed 25,000 teenagers aged 11-14 over three school years and found no evidence that heavier social media use or more frequent gaming increased symptoms of anxiety or depression over the following year. The study, published in the Journal of Public Health, challenges widespread assumptions about screen time being inherently harmful. Lead author Dr Qiqi Cheng noted that the relationship is far more complex than simply "time spent equals harm," with context and individual differences playing crucial roles.

Impact

This research shifts the conversation from "how much" to "how and why." It suggests that when young people are struggling mentally, they may withdraw into gaming or social media as a coping mechanism—not that these activities cause the struggles. This has significant implications for parents and educators who've been told to simply limit screen time. The research points toward a more nuanced approach: focusing on the quality of online experiences, who young people are connecting with, and addressing the underlying wellbeing issues that might drive certain usage patterns. Of course, if you're concerned about your child's mental health or screen use, please speak with your GP or a qualified therapist.

📖 Euronews

Ofcom Investigates X Over AI Tool That Digitally Undresses People

UK regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into X (formerly Twitter) for failing to comply with online safety laws, and is considering blocking the platform. This is due to the fact its AI chatbot, Grok, can be used to create non-consensual intimate images by digitally undressing people when tagged beneath images posted on the platform. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed she would back Ofcom if they decided to block X in the UK, calling the practice "despicable and abhorrent." Elon Musk responded by claiming the UK government wants "any excuse for censorship." Indonesia has already blocked Grok due to misuse of the technology.

Impact

This case highlights a critical gap in how we think about AI harm. Creating fake intimate images of someone without consent isn't just a privacy violation—it's a form of image-based sexual abuse that can cause lasting psychological trauma. Research on non-consensual intimate images shows victims experience symptoms comparable to those of sexual assault, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. The ease with which AI tools can now create convincing fake images means the potential scale of harm is unprecedented. When regulators like Ofcom take action, they're not just enforcing technical compliance—they're setting boundaries about what kind of psychological harm we'll tolerate in pursuit of technological "innovation."

📖 Law and Media Round Up

UK Government Abandons Mandatory Digital ID Plans

The UK government has dropped plans to require all workers to hold a mandatory digital ID to prove their right to work, following intense public and political pressure. A petition opposing mandatory digital IDs attracted nearly three million signatures, citing civil liberties concerns and public trust issues. Digital right-to-work checks will still become mandatory by 2029, but workers won't need to register for a government-issued digital ID—they'll be able to use biometric passports or approved third-party verification apps instead.

Impact

This U-turn reveals something important about the psychology of digital trust. Even when technology might make processes more efficient, people's willingness to adopt it depends heavily on how much they trust the institutions implementing it. The three million petition signatures suggest widespread concerns about surveillance, data misuse, and loss of autonomy—concerns rooted in what psychologists call "institutional trust deficits." When governments push digital identity schemes without adequately addressing these trust issues, they risk not just policy failure but deeper erosion of the social contract. The revised approach, allowing multiple verification methods rather than a single government-controlled system, better respects what behavioural economists call "choice architecture"—giving people autonomy whilst still achieving policy goals.

📖 FTI Consulting News Bytes

Question of the week

If YouTube's algorithm now shapes British culture more than the BBC does, what responsibility—if any—should platforms have to serve the public interest rather than just engagement metrics?

Reply to this email and let me know your thoughts! I’m curious to read your answers.

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Thank you for reading.

Stay curious, stay critical - and stay connected!

All the best,

Byron