Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
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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%).
Negative Perceptions of Social Media (Youth' and Parents' perceptions)
This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' survey shows that there is a high degree of generational alignment regarding the psychological pressures of social media. Unlike the 'utility gap' observed in positive perceptions, there is a high degree of agreement between parents and adolescents regarding the prevalence of social comparison and 'fear of missing out' (FOMO). Both groups report that approximately 45% of young people compare themselves to others and 41% suffer from FOMO. This suggests that these are widely recognised harms of the current digital environment. While parents slightly overestimate their child's stress and anxiety levels (38% vs. 33%), they significantly underestimate the extent of physical sleep disruption. Adolescents are 7 percentage points more likely to report difficulty falling asleep than their parents realise (38% vs 31%). Furthermore, almost one-third of adolescents (31%) report feeling 'sad' or 'left out' as a direct result of using social media.
Opinion on age target for social media prohibition for minors - respondents 18 and above
This chart illustrates public opinion of adults (aged 18 and above) in the European Union regarding the appropriate legal age for accessing social media platforms, as determined by a 2026 FRA survey of more than 26000 adults. The data reveal a strong preference for high age limits, with the ag of 16 (16%) and the age of 18 or above (16%) emerging as the most popular legal cutoffs. Combining these with those favouring ages of 14 and 15, almost 56% of the population supports a 'digital majority' age of 14 or higher. A significant trend emerges regarding the rejection of unregulated access: only 1% of respondents believe there should be no age limitations, signalling near-universal public agreement on the necessity of age restrictions. While the preference for a 16-year limit provides a democratic mandate for the 'hard prohibitive' models currently proposed in countries such as Spain and Denmark, a notable 12% of the population still believes that the decision should remain the responsibility of parents. A significant trend emerges when these results are compared with those of the adolescent demographic (aged 15–17) - chart #68. While adults anchor their preference at the 16- and 18-year thresholds (32% combined), teenagers overwhelmingly favour a younger cutoff of 14 or 15 (31% combined). Furthermore, adults are four times more likely than adolescents to believe that the limit should be set at 18 or over (16% versus 4%), reflecting a far more restrictive outlook compared to adolescents' preference for mid-adolescent entry points. Adults show significantly less platform-specific nuance: they are only half as likely as teenagers to suggest that the limit should 'depend on the social media platform' (5% vs 11%). This suggests that the adult population favours a more uniform, 'blanket' regulatory approach.
Opinion on age target for social media prohibition for minors – Respondents aged 15-17
This chart illustrates the views of adolescents (aged 15–17) on the appropriate legal age for accessing social media, as revealed by a 2026 FRA survey. The data reveal a clear 'youth consensus' centred around the age of 14 or 15, with 15 (16%) and 14 (15%) emerging as the most popular thresholds. Combined with those favouring ages 12 and 13 (13% and 11% respectively), over half of the teenage respondents (55%) support a limit between 12 and 15 years. A significant trend emerges when these results are compared to those of the adult demographic - chart #68. While adults favoured limits of 16 and 18+, adolescents overwhelmingly rejected these higher cutoffs, with only 6% supporting a limit of 16 and 4% supporting a limit of 18. Furthermore, teenagers are twice as likely as adults to suggest that the limit should 'depend on the social media platform' (11%), indicating a more nuanced understanding of platform-specific risks.
People who used generative AI tools (2025)
This chart, extracted from the Eurostat publication 'Young people – digital world' in March 2026, illustrates the percentage of individuals who used generative AI tools in the last three months of 2025, comparing the youth demographic (aged 16–29) with the total population. The data reveal a significant 'generational AI divide', with the average for European youth (60%) being almost double that for the general population (32%). A significant regional trend emerges in the rapid adoption of AI across Southern and Eastern Europe. Greece leads the way with an impressive 82% of young people utilising generative AI, closely followed by Estonia (79%) and Portugal (74%). Even in countries with the lowest relative engagement, such as Romania (38%) and Italy (42%), the youth demographic is still far more active than the general public. This trend is also evident in the EEA, where Norway (78%) and Switzerland (76%) have some of the highest youth adoption rates in the dataset.
Perceived Impact of Social Media on Mental Wellbeing by Adolescents and Parents
Based on the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health', this chart reveals a significant 'perception gap' between European adolescents and their parents regarding the impact of social media on mental health. The data show that adolescents are significantly more optimistic about their digital lives: almost half (48%) report a positive impact on their well-being, compared to just 21% of parents who feel the same way about their children's experiences online. Parents are twice as likely as adolescents to perceive social media as harmful: 36% of parents report a negative impact on their child’s wellbeing, compared to only 18% of adolescents who report the same for themselves. Furthermore, while 42% of parents remain neutral ('neither positive nor negative').
Percentage of 15-Year-Old Students Using Digital Devices During a Typical Week by Type of Leisure Activity, 2022
This table shows the percentage of 15-year-olds in European countries who engage in various digital leisure and functional activities (namely: create or edit their own digital content, communicate and share digital content on social networks, play video-games, learn how to do something, look for practical information online, browse social networks, browse the Internet - excluding social networks - for fun). Social networking and leisure browsing dominate digital activity among EU 15-year-olds, with participation consistently exceeding 94% across all analysed countries. Content creation shows the greatest variance: countries such as Greece (80.1%) and Latvia (79.1%) significantly outperform the OECD average of 69%, in stark contrast to Ireland's lower rate of 55.4%. Furthermore, approximately 89% of students in Poland and Estonia use the internet for functional purposes, such as learning new skills or seeking practical information. This highlights a notable shift from passive consumption to active, goal-oriented engagement in Central and Southern Europe.
Perception of Safety and Communication Online
These data from the 2026 EU Kids Online report explore how children perceive their own safety and the social dynamics of the digital environment. The data reveal a significant 'security-literacy gap': while the majority of children (61%) report knowing how to handle negative interactions online, fewer than half (48%) actually feel safe in digital spaces. This suggests that having the technical knowledge of 'what to do' does not necessarily translate into a subjective sense of security. The vast majority of children (76%) do not find other internet users to be kind or helpful, suggesting that a hostile or indifferent social environment is perceived as the norm by three-quarters of European youth. Only 9% of children report discussing personal matters online that they would not talk about face-to-face, and only 23% find it easier to be themselves online.
Perceptions of AI's Impact on Society (2026)
This chart illustrates the difference in attitudes between parents and young people in the European Union regarding the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society, as reported by Common Sense Media in 2026. The data reveal a significant 'optimism gap', with young people consistently reporting much higher levels of confidence in AI than their parents. In the short term, for example, 56% of young people believe that AI will benefit society, compared to just 41% of parents. A significant trend emerges when the long-term outlook is evaluated. While youth optimism increases over time, reaching a peak of 59%, parental sentiment shifts towards pessimism. In the long-term projection, parents are more likely to believe that AI will harm society (42%) than help it (40%), marking a 5 percentage point increase in concern compared to the short term.
Perceptions of Efforts to Protect Adolescent Wellbeing Online
This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' illustrates the 'confidence gap' between adolescents and parents regarding the effectiveness of current online safety measures. The data reveal a clear hierarchy of trust, with both groups identifying parents and relatives (75% of young people and 71% of parents) as the most effective individuals in safeguarding well-being. However, a significant difference emerges when evaluating institutional and corporate responsibility. A significant trend visible is the scepticism of parents towards external actors. They are 15 percentage points less likely than their children to believe that social media platforms are doing enough (37% vs. 52%), and 11 percentage points less likely to trust the efforts of public authorities (42% vs. 53%). Notably, while a majority of young people (52%) believe that social media platforms are doing enough, only a minority of parents (37%) share this view. This represents the lowest level of confidence in the entire dataset.