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.
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').
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.
Positive 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' highlights a notable 'utility gap' in the perceptions of European adolescents and parents regarding the benefits of social media. While there is a relative consensus that these platforms facilitate social connection (70% of young people versus 64% of parents), a significant difference in opinion emerges regarding the educational and expressive value of digital life. Adolescents are twice as likely as their parents to believe that they 'learn a lot' online (65% vs 33%), and nearly twice as likely to view social media as a primary tool for self-expression (62% vs 35%). 63% of adolescents report that social media improves their mood, whereas only 41% of parents observes a similar positive emotional shift in their children. Furthermore, the majority of young people (55%) identify social media as a source of personal confidence.
Proportion of 13–17-years-old who have seen different types of violent content on social media in the past 12 months
This table shows the prevalence of specific violent and illegal content that 13- to 17-year-olds have encountered online. A total of 70% of children report having seen some form of violence, with fights involving young people (56%) and threats of physical harm (43%) being the most commonly reported experiences. Significant exposure to illegal or high-risk activities was also reported, with 38% of young people seeing content related to illegal drug use and 35% seeing the carrying or use of weapons. Furthermore, 33% of respondents report seeing the promotion of gangs or illegal drugs. Even the least prevalent categories, such as glorifying previous attacks (29%) and sexually violent content (27%), affect over a quarter of those surveyed, highlighting widespread exposure to various digital risks.
Proportion of children who have perpetrated violence who say that social media has played a role
This table illustrates the influence of social media mechanisms on adolescent violence. While 35% of respondents report no connection, a significant 64% of perpetrators cite digital triggers as the main cause of their behaviour. The data reveal that the most common catalysts for physical aggression are online arguments (23%) and 'online disinhibition,' whereby children feel safer saying things they would not say face-to-face (23%). Furthermore, features such as tagging peers into conflicts and live-streaming fights demonstrate how platform design can be used to broadcast and intensify violence, transforming digital disputes into real-world harm.
Reasons for a child no longer holding an account across age-restricted social media platforms in Australia three months after the social media ban implementation
This table shows the main reasons parents gave for their child no longer having an account on an age-restricted social media platform after implementation. The data reveal that platform deactivation (43.6%) was the main reason for account closures, while child-led deactivation (36.3%) was notably more prevalent than parent-led deactivation (26.6%). Furthermore, the extremely low rate of parents reporting accounts for deactivation (1.9%) suggests either 'reporting fatigue' or a preference for managing the issue internally within the family rather than collaborating with the platform.
The Detection of Illegal Content (2023–2024)
The staggering 218% increase in exchanged records is largely attributed to a high-volume surge identified by the SafeNet Bulgaria hotline, which accounted for 1.6 million records. Furthermore, the identification of 929,733 "New Records", a 35% increase, demonstrates that despite better tracking, nearly one million pieces of previously unseen abusive content entered the system in 2024 alone.
The Role of Algorithmic Recommender Functions TikTok in Promoting Male Supremacist Influencers
Note: Stages represent the exposure progression, or cumulative viewing intervals, with Stage 5 occurring after approximately 400 videos or 2–3 hours of platform engagement. This table tracks the "rabbit hole" effect of social media algorithms by measuring the percentage of toxic/manosphere content recommended to experimental accounts over five progressive rounds of viewing. Conducted by Dublin City University (2024) in Ireland, the study utilised ten experimental accounts on blank smartphones to simulate the digital experiences of 16 and 18-year-old males on TikTok. The researchers tested two distinct user profiles: (1) generic (Gen) accounts seeking "gender-normative" interests like sports, gym content, and gaming; and manosphere-curious (MC) accounts actively seeking "manfluencer" content (e.g., Andrew Tate, anti-feminist topics). Researchers manually coded over 29 hours of video to identify the frequency of toxic or male-supremacist recommendations. The data demonstrates a rapid escalation in toxic recommendations across all profiles. While most accounts began with 0% toxic recommendations at stage 1, the algorithmic "recommender functions" quickly pivoted: by Round 5, the 16-year-old Generic account (Gen) saw the highest saturation, with 56% of all recommended content being classified as toxic; accounts that initially showed interest in manosphere content (MC) were targeted more aggressively in earlier rounds (e.g., the 16 MC accounts hit 36% toxicity by Round 3). Regardless of whether the initial intent was "generic" or "curious," all accounts were fed toxic content within the first 23–26 minutes of use, eventually resulting in a majority-toxic feed by the end of the experiment.