Most Effective Actions to Improve Youth Wellbeing Online

This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' highlights significant differences in 'policy priorities' between European adolescents and their parents. While both groups agree on the importance of implementing existing rules more effectively (48% of young people vs. 47% of parents), they disagree on the most effective secondary measures. The data reveal that parents are significantly more focused on prohibition: 54% view additional age limits or restrictions as a top priority, which is a 9-percentage-point lead over adolescents, who would be directly affected by such bans. Adolescents are 16 percentage points more likely than their parents to believe that improved access to mental health support is a key solution (42% versus 26%). Young people also place a higher value on institutional empowerment, favouring education in schools (44%) over restrictive age-gating (45%).