Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
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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 NEW
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.
Trends in the Identification of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2020–2024)
The data reveals a record-breaking surge in the identification of CSAM, with 2024 figures surpassing the previous five-year peak by over 140%. The most alarming metric is the volume of confirmed illegal records, which jumped by 202% in a single year to reach 1.63 million.
Victim Demographics by Biological Sex
Female victims continued to be overwhelmingly represented, comprising 98.71% of reported cases, an increase from 94.60% in 2023. In contrast, the percentage of male victims has decreased significantly, dropping from 3.66% in 2023 to just 0.76% in 2024. Cases involving both sexes have also declined slightly, representing 0.53% of reports. These trends highlight the persistent disproportionate representation of female victims while reflecting a sharp decrease in male victims and a minor reduction in cases involving both sexes.
Youth Problematic Social Media Use and Online Engagement
Approximately 1 in 10 adolescents now exhibits problematic social media behavior (addictive-like), defined by clinical, addiction-like symptoms such as withdrawal and inability to control usage. Differences in problematic SMU were seen across age groups. Prevalence was highest among 13-year-olds (12%) and lowest in 11-year-olds (9%).
The survey covers 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada.