This report describes qualitative research conducted to explore the lived experiences of gambling and gambling-related harms among children and young people in the United Kingdom. The project was completed by research consultants for the UK charity GambleAware. Participants consisted of three groups: children under 11 years old, affected others aged 7 to 25, and vulnerable youth people aged 11 to 17. The research involved in-depth interviews, focus groups, and workshops.
Recommendations include:
- An updated definition of gambling to include a wider range of online activities.
- An awareness of gambling harm that includes harm related to excessive engagement with online gambling or gambling like elements within online games.
- Regulation to ensure that gambling operators explicitly state that the content is not for children and young people.
- Gambling harms awareness campaigns targeted to children and young people that acknowledge that gambling is harmless for many people and that it is prevalent in everyday life.
- Encouraging open conversation about gambling and increasing the number of places that children and young people can access support.
- Interactive in-person education of children in schools (led by young people with lived experience) and social media content with stories from young people with lived experience.
