Online activities (Base: All children 10–16, European Average across 19 countries)

This EU Kids Online 2026 dataset provides European policymakers with a comprehensive breakdown of children's daily digital behaviours. It reveals a sharp divide between passive/relational consumption and active public participation. The data shows that children's online activity is mainly made up of private social interaction and entertainment. 78% communicate with friends, 74% watch social media videos, 71% listen to music and 67% stay in contact with parents or caregivers daily or almost daily (combining "several times each day" and "daily"). Academic and informal learning activities occupy a solid middle tier: 38% use the internet for schoolwork daily or almost daily, and 28% do so for skill development. Conversely, activities involving public exposure, active content creation, civic engagement or high-risk behaviours remain rare for the vast majority. Only 13% create or edit digital content daily, and 71% to 80% never participate in public online discussions, digital campaigns or petitions. Furthermore, potentially risky activities such as sharing information about others without consent (74% never), publicly posting identifiable information to strangers (60% never), or searching for mental health advice online (54% never) are not routine behaviours for most young people (at least as declared by them). These patterns demonstrate that European children declare to primarily use digital platforms for private socialising and entertainment rather than for public broadcasting, commercial trading, or political activism.