Our mission, values and standards

1. First News is aimed at readers aged 7 to 14 years old, and all content is age appropriate. We aim to inform and empower children, and treat them with respect as equal citizens.

2. We cover all the major stories that are in the headlines, which we know children are being exposed to, and place particular emphasis on stories about children, their lives and their futures.

3. We do not avoid difficult stories. Indeed, we deem these to be the most important because they need to be explained in a way that children can understand.

4. We are factual but we do not scaremonger, and avoid graphic and disturbing detail and imagery.

5. We always offer reassurance where we feel a child may be worried or upset by a news story, on topics such as terrorism or war. We signpost readers to Childline and any other services that are appropriate to the story.

6. We have no political or religious allegiances and our coverage is inclusive, promoting tolerance, kindness and understanding.

7. We are committed to diverse representation and inclusive language, and avoid stereotypes.

8. We are always fair, accurate and impartial. We print a range of views on controversial topics, make it clear when something is fact or opinion, and do not take sides at elections or referendums.

9. We offer balanced coverage of hard and light stories so that reading First News is a positive experience. There is also a mix of longer reports and bite-sized stories for readers of all abilities.

10. We use language and vocabulary that children can understand, and provide definitions for technical or complex vocabulary if a story needs it to make sense.

11. If social media is mentioned, we always remind readers that they should be 13 years old to have an account (moving to 16 years old when new government legislation is introduced in 2027).

12. We do not preview or review films or games with a rating of 15 or 18.

13. We give children a platform to raise their voices about the issues that matter to them, and to show how they can play an important part in their communities and the wider world.

14. We believe that, for the world to become a better place, the next generation needs to be better informed than the last.

15. Everything we write is for children, but we aim to support parents, teachers and other adults in talking to children about the news.

16. We want every child to know that they matter.

How we use AI (artificial intelligence)

17. All First News stories are researched, written and edited by our journalists. We do not believe that AI can replace skilled journalists and editors, and do not use AI to write or fact check stories or make editorial decisions. Where we use AI to help with specific tasks, set out below, a named editor reviews, edits and approves everything before it is published.

18. In First News Digital we use AI to create simpler, accessible versions of our stories that are easier to understand. AI is only used to simplify the language and shorten sentences, it is never used to add information that wasn’t there to begin with. Each accessible version is only uploaded after a human First News editor has amended and approved it, including checking for accuracy and bias. The editor who approves an accessible version is responsible for it in just the same way as for the rest of our journalism. Any stories that have been simplified by AI are clearly labelled at the top of the page, where it says ‘Simplified with the help of AI from a First News story by one of our writers. Checked and approved by a First News editor.’

19. AI can introduce biases due to the data it was trained on, so we always check any AI content to make sure that it is as impartial as everything else that we produce.

20. We also use AI to create word definitions on the accessible versions, but these are also edited and checked by a human editor as part of the review process for each article.

21. Occasionally, we use AI-generated images to illustrate news stories about AI-generated images. These will always be clearly labelled and will never be used to mislead or to imply that they show real people or real events. The two main image libraries that we use are Getty and iStock. The latter does not allow images that have been created with AI. Getty does have the capability to do this, but we do not use it.

22. One AI feature that we occasionally use is ‘generative fill’, which can expand the background of a picture so that it better fits the layout of a page. This is only ever used for aesthetic purposes, and does not have any material effect on the content or message of the picture.

23. As part of our work to improve the media and information literacy of our readers, we help them to learn about and spot AI content.

24. We believe, and actively promote, that media and information literacy is as much about responsible creation and sharing as it is about critical evaluation.

25. We know that AI uses energy and resources, so we keep our use of it to a minimum and only use it where it genuinely helps our readers.

How we protect our readers

26. We always get consent from a parent/guardian before we publish any of our readers’ articles and pictures.

27. The data provided to us for the purposes of fulfilling our subscriptions and providing access to our digital products is protected according to the First News Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. No data is ever shared with any third party.

More information on First News Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies can be found here:

Home subscriptions: Terms & Conditions. Privacy Policy.

Schools subscriptions: Terms & Conditions. Privacy Policy.

Advertising

28. All of our sponsored content and partnerships are clearly labelled, so that they can’t be confused with editorial.

29. Our commercial partners do not have any influence over our editorial content.

About this document

30. This version of our guidelines is v2.2 and was updated in October 2026. We keep the document under regular review, but welcome any comments and concerns, which you can send to [email protected].

How to contact us

31. Readers, teachers and parents can raise any concerns over these guidelines or any editorial matters by emailing [email protected].