Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
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Awareness of Online Applicability of the Fundamental Rights
Awareness of the fact that fundamental rights also apply online is currently in decline across the European Union. Only 59% of citizens are aware of their digital legal standing.
Concerns about safety of children when using social media NEW
This chart illustrates public concerns in the European Union about the safety of children on social media, as revealed by a 2026 FRA survey of over 26,000 individuals. The data reveal an overwhelming consensus on digital risks, with concern levels exceeding 80% for all eight monitored categories. The most acute anxieties are tied to encountering violent content and predatory exploitation, both of which reach a peak concern level of 89% (54% are "very concerned"). Concerns about excessive usage and data exploitation both rank nearly as high at 88%, directly mirroring ongoing policy debates about addictive design and privacy issues. Even the category with the lowest reported level of concern (for example, the exposure to conspiracy theories) still affects 80% of the population.
Cyberbullying Prevalence (2022)
The chart shows the percentages of children experiencing cyberbullying, in 2022, in 22 European Union members with the prevalence of children experiencing cyberbullying ranging from 5% in Spain to a high of 23% in Lithuania. A clear regional trend emerges: Southern European nations, including Portugal (7%) and Italy (8%), report significantly lower rates of cyberbullying, while the Baltic and Eastern European states, most notably Lithuania (23%), Poland (21.5%), and Latvia (21.5%), report the highest levels.
Cyberbullying Prevalence by Gender (2022)
This chart shows the percentage of children experiencing cyberbullying by gender in 2022 across 22 European Union member states. The data shows that digital harassment risks vary significantly by gender and national context.
Daily Active Social Media Use: 15-Year-Olds (2022)
This chart shows the distribution of time spent on active social media activities, such as messaging, posting content, or sharing media, by 15-year-olds on a typical weekday. The data reveal that active participation remains a dominant behaviour for the vast majority of youth, with 84% of adolescents reporting daily active usage.
Daily Active Social Media Use: 15-Year-Olds by Gender (2022)
This chart shows the distribution of time spent on active social media activities, such as messaging and posting content, by 15-year-olds on a typical weekday, by gender. Active digital participation is a near-universal behaviour for both genders, with 87% of males and 82% of females engaging in active social media use daily. Notably, a higher percentage of females (18%) report no active usage compared to their male counterparts (13%).
Daily Passive Social Media Use: 15-Year-Olds (2022)
This chart shows the distribution of time spent on passive social media activities, such as scrolling through feeds or browsing content, by 15-year-olds on a typical weekday. The data reveal that passive engagement is a near-universal habit for this demographic, with only 6% of adolescents reporting no usage at all. The majority of students fall into the moderate-to-heavy usage categories, with 39% spending between one and three hours daily on these platforms. 37% of 15-year-olds spend more than three hours per day engaged in passive scrolling. 94% of 15-year-olds are daily participants in passive digital consumption.
Daily Passive Social Media Use: 15-Year-Olds by Gender (2022)
This chart shows the distribution of time spent on passive social media activities, such as scrolling or browsing, by 15-year-olds on a typical weekday, divided by gender. The data reveal that passive consumption is a near-universal behaviour for both genders. Only a small minority of both genders report no passive usage at all. A significant trend emerges in the "high intensity" category: 42% of males spend more than three hours per day passively consuming content, compared to 32% of females.
Daily Use of the Internet Among Young People (16 to 29 Years Old) (2021-2025)
The table shows data on internet access frequency for individuals aged 16 to 29 years old over the years 2021-2025. Data reveals a steady and inexorable climb in the EU-27 average, rising from 95.15% in 2021 to 97.67% in 2025. This indicates that by the midpoint of the decade, daily internet access has become a near-absolute constant for young Europeans.
Estimated Probabilities of 15-Year-Olds Experiencing Poor Mental Health (Anxiety) by Gender and Time Spent on Social Media (2022)
The chart presents the results of a regression analysis based on countries that took both the ICT and the well-being PISA 2022 survey modules: Hungary, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain, covering a representative sample of 40,102 15-year-old students in 1,743 schools in Europe. It indicates that the correlation between time spent using social media and mental health is relatively consistent across genders, with both male and female adolescents reporting higher rates of depression and anxiety as social media usage increases. Yet, other factors other than time spent, or combinations of multiple factors, are likely to influence the relationship between the use of social media and mental health outcomes.