Percentage of 11-year-olds who report problematic social media use

This table shows the percentage of 11-year-olds who experienced 'problematic' (addictive-like) social media use in 2022, broken down by the regions covered by the HBSC survey, including European member states, North America and Central Asia. The 2022 data reveal a significant 'early-onset addiction gap', with an average of 9% of children exhibiting at least six symptoms of digital dependency, such as withdrawal and loss of control, before entering their teens. A sharp regional divide emerges between Eastern and Western Europe: Romania (17–18%) and Bulgaria (14–16%) report the highest levels of early-stage problematic use, while the Netherlands (4–5%) and Switzerland (5%) have the lowest risk profiles in the dataset. Although the global average shows gender parity at 9%, striking gender disparities emerge in the United Kingdom and Mediterranean regions. In England and Malta, nearly one in five 11-year-old girls exhibits addictive behaviours, significantly higher than their male counterparts.