WHY
Drivers & Context: the socioeconomic, cultural and infrastructural factors that shape how children encounter and use digital technologies.
Adolescent Exposure and Usage Intensity on Social Media
This table establishes the scale of the environment by mapping how deeply integrated social media has become in the daily lives of 15-year-olds across the European Union. 96% of 15-year-olds use social media on a typical weekday, with 37% spending more than 3 hours daily. Social media is no longer an optional activity but a near-universal digital environment for European youth.
Digital Divide in Children's Screen Time by Socioeconomic Status
Research consistently shows that the "Digital Divide" has shifted from access to usage patterns and duration. Children from low-income families spend roughly 40% longer on screens than middle-income peers and nearly double the time of children in affluent households. A 2024 Norwegian study found that lower-SES children spend an average of 364 minutes (over 6 hours) on the internet daily, compared to 260 minutes for high-SES peers.
Social Media Platforms Used by Young Users for Political and Social Information
65% of respondents aged 15-24 said social media was their main source of information. Instagram emerged as the most commonly used platform (47%), followed by TikTok (39%) and YouTube (37%). These data show the direct correlation between youth using social media and their right to information and participation, specifically in the political sphere.
CLINICAL
User Impact & Harm: clinical and epidemiological evidence on how social media affects the mental health, safety and well-being of children.
Age Demographics of Victims (2023-2024)
The 2024 data indicate a narrowing of the target demographic toward the pre-pubescent (3-13 years old) age group, which now accounts for 93.24% of all cases — an all-time high concentration of harm in the primary-school age bracket.
Gender Disparity in Social Media Use and Mental Health
This table highlights a critical divergence in how social media affects 15-year-old adolescents based on gender. Female adolescents are significantly more vulnerable both in terms of dosage (42% vs 32% high usage) and response (60% vs 35% depression symptoms, 65% vs 41% anxiety symptoms).
Global Scaling of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)
The digital environment has reached a critical tipping point where the volume of child sexual abuse material has surged by 87% in three years, reaching 32 million global reports. Over half of global respondents experienced sexual harm online during their childhood.
STRUCTURAL
Platform Design & Dynamics: how the architecture, algorithms and business models of social media platforms create or amplify risks for young users.
TECHNICAL
Feasibility & Enforcement: the technical mechanisms, challenges and limitations of implementing age verification, content moderation and platform regulation.
Common Age Restrictions on Social Media Platforms
Most major social media platforms set their minimum age at 13, aligned with the US COPPA regulation. LinkedIn and WhatsApp require 16, while YouTube formally requires 18 (or 13 with parental consent). These self-imposed limits highlight the gap between platform policy and actual enforcement.
NORMATIVE
Rules, Rights & Ethics: public opinion, legal frameworks, generational attitudes and ethical considerations surrounding children's digital rights and regulation.
Awareness of Fundamental Rights Applied Online
Awareness that fundamental rights apply online is in a literacy recession across the EU, with only 59% of citizens cognizant of their digital legal standing — a 3-point decline year-over-year. A massive 43-point gap exists between the Netherlands (82%) and Bulgaria (39%), suggesting that social media intervention will face substantial enforcement challenges.
Generational Perspectives on Device vs. Content Bans
The data reveals a significant Consensus Gap between hardware restrictions and age-based platform access. While the generations are divided on whether smartphones belong in schools, they are remarkably united on the need to protect children under 14 from social media.
Global Public Sentiment on Social Media Bans for Under-14s
A significant mandate for restrictive social media legislation for children under 14. France leads with 80% support. The global average of 65% indicates an internationally recognised solution. Germany is the only country where disagreement (42%) outweighs agreement (40%), suggesting higher cultural value placed on digital autonomy.
MITIGATION
Alternatives & Solutions: evidence-based interventions, digital literacy programmes, platform safety features and policy approaches that reduce harm without eliminating access.