Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
filtered by Geographical
Attitude towards regulation of minors' online activities (2025)
This table examines the views of young people (aged 12-17) on digital regulation and the governance of their online lives across five European countries. The 2025 Euroconsumers survey reveals a high level of consent for protection, with an overwhelming 82% of respondents agreeing that minors should be restricted from accessing certain content. Furthermore, the findings suggest a preference for local versus distant authority: while 58% of young people agree that their parents should control the content they access, almost half (45%) do not believe that the government should control what minors do online. The survey also highlights a significant credibility gap between policymakers and parents on one hand and young people on the other. Notably, 76% of minors believe that adults should limit their own screen time before imposing restrictions on teenagers, suggesting that perceived hypocrisy could undermine the legitimacy of digital rules. Additionally, the population is deeply divided on the efficacy of the current status quo: only 37% believe that current regulations are sufficient and just 41% feel that the privacy and safety of teenagers receive enough attention.
Attitudes Towards Social Media Algorithms (2025)
This table examines the attitudes of young people (aged 12-17) towards social media algorithms in five European countries: Belgium, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain. The 2025 survey reveals a significant demand for digital agency, with 68% of respondents expressing a desire for more control over the content in their feeds. This desire is emphasised by a high level of concern about algorithmic influence: 56% of young people are worried that social media platforms control their experience, and 57% admit that algorithms cause them to spend more time online than intended. The findings also highlight a complex duality in user perception: while 50% of respondents recognise the functional benefits of algorithms in saving time and providing relevant content, 42% report not even noticing that algorithms are shaping their feeds.
Best Methods for Age Verification According to Teenagers (aged 12-14 and 15-17) (2025)
This table examines the preferences of European teenagers (aged 12-17) regarding technical methods for age verification in five countries: Belgium, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain. The 2025 data reveal that there is no single 'preferred' solution among young people; instead, support is fragmented across multiple technical approaches. A significant trend emerges among older teenagers (aged 15–17), who demonstrate the strongest preference for platform-specific verification (38%), indicating a preference for distinct digital identities rather than a universal 'digital key'. By contrast, younger teenagers (aged 12–14) are more open to centralised gatekeeping, with 34% supporting verification at the app store level compared to 28% of older teenagers. One-time, device-linked verification remains a consistently popular option for both age groups (34–36%), reflecting an appreciation of user convenience. While privacy-preserving methods such as dedicated anonymity apps (30–31%) and biometric identification (28–32%) receive significant support, they do not emerge as the leading choices.
Restrictions on rules by the parents, to regulate minors' online activities (2025)
This table illustrates the prevalence of specific digital rules and restrictions imposed by parents on their children's online activities in five European countries: Belgium, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain. This 2025 survey reveals that the primary strategy is active monitoring, with 45% of parents maintaining visibility over their children’s social media profiles and posts. This is closely followed by gatekeeping measures, such as requiring permission to install apps (36%) and enforcing screen time limits (36%). While 31% of parents forbid specific apps or platforms entirely, technical privacy management is less common: only 28% of parents actively review and adjust the privacy settings of their children's games and apps. The least prevalent restrictions involve controlling the physical environment or social circle: only 13% of parents limit device use to the home or parental hardware, and 16% restrict follow requests.
Usefulness of regulatory inititatives (2025)
This table evaluates the perceived usefulness of various regulatory initiatives aimed at protecting minors online, as reported by young people (aged 12-17) in five European countries. The data reveal a strong preference for safety measures based on design over prohibitive ones. The highest levels of support are found for blurring inappropriate content (64% "very useful") and establishing support channels for reporting harm (60% "very useful"). This indicates that minors prioritise functional tools that mitigate exposure and provide immediate recourse. The majority of respondents view specific default settings for minors (53%) and shifting from algorithmic tracking to interest-based selection (52%) as highly useful interventions. Similarly, behavioural nudges such as 'Think before you share' pop-ups are considered highly effective by 52% of young people. In contrast, prohibitive and exclusionary measures receive the lowest 'very useful' ratings in the dataset. Age-based restrictions on social media (49%), smartphones (44%) and blanket bans on devices in schools (43%) attract the most scepticism, with school bans receiving the highest proportion of "not useful" responses at 17%.