Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
filtered by Topic
Youth Self-Report vs Parental Estimates of AI Use (2026)
This chart illustrates a significant 'perception gap' between how teenagers aged 12 to 17 actually use artificial intelligence (AI) and how their parents perceive this usage across the European Union, based on a 2026 Common Sense Media report. The data reveal that, while searching for information or facts is the most common actual use among young people (56%), parents significantly underestimate this functional application, with only 39% identifying it as a primary activity. A significant trend emerges: parents overestimating the use of 'creative' and 'social' AI. They are 20 percentage points more likely to believe their children use AI to create images or videos (47% vs 27%) and four times more likely to believe their children use AI for companionship (20% vs 5%). Similarly, parents overestimate the use of AI to help with schoolwork by 11 percentage points (59% vs 48%).
Youth's support for a minimum age on social media (2026)
This table shows public support for a government-mandated minimum age for social media use across six major European nations (March 2026). The data reveal a near-universal 'consensus of concern', with over 70% of respondents in every country supporting some form of age restriction. Italy (84%) and Poland (83%) show the strongest support for government intervention. A significant trend emerges regarding the 'digital majority' threshold. A clear majority favours the stricter '16 or older' cut-off in Italy (64%), Spain (55%) and Belgium (54%). In contrast, the public in Germany and Poland is more divided between the 13–15 and 16+ age limits, with Poland reporting the highest level of support in the dataset (30%) for a moderate 13–15 age limit. The findings also highlight the ongoing debate over parental autonomy. While they are in the minority, a significant proportion of the population in France (28%) and Spain (26%) believes that social media access should be a matter for parents rather than the government. Notably, the option of having 'no age restriction' is the least popular across the continent, peaking at just 7% in Germany and dropping to 1% in Poland.