Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
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Percentage of 13-year-olds who report problematic social media use
This table shows the percentage of 13-year-olds who experienced 'problematic' (addictive-like) social media use in 2022 across the HBSC survey regions, which include European member states, North America and Central Asia. The 2022 data reveal a sharp increase in digital dependency among children entering their early teens, particularly among girls, where the average prevalence (16%) is almost double that among boys (9%). A pronounced regional risk cluster persists in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, with Romania (21–28%) and Malta (14–28%) reporting the highest levels of problematic use in the dataset. Unlike the 11-year-old cohort, striking gender disparities become the norm at age 13, particularly in Western and Southern Europe. In countries such as England, Ireland and Italy, girls are two to three times more likely than boys to exhibit addictive behaviours. Conversely, the Netherlands (5–8%) and Hungary (5–10%) continue to have the lowest risk profiles, suggesting that national digital cultures and domestic management strategies play a significant role in mitigating these symptoms during the "vulnerability window" of early adolescence.
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.
Percentage of 15-year-olds who report problematic social media use
This table presents the percentage of 15-year-olds who reported 'problematic' (addictive-like) social media use in 2022 across the HBSC survey regions, including European member states, North America, and Central Asia. The 2022 data reveal a "vulnerability plateau" among mid-adolescents, with an average of 14% of girls and 8% of boys exhibiting clinical symptoms of digital dependency. A clear geographic divide remains evident: Romania (18–28%), Ireland (13–25%) and Malta (13–24%) reported the highest levels of problematic use, while the Netherlands (3–7%) and Hungary (3–9%) had the most resilient digital environments. At age 15, the gender gap in digital addiction remains significant across most of Europe, with girls being approximately twice as likely as boys to report symptoms of loss of control and withdrawal. This disparity is particularly striking in the Mediterranean and Anglosphere: in Cyprus and Greece, for example, more than one in five girls report problematic use, compared to around 10% of boys.
Percentage of 15-years old Having Their Own Smartphone by Socio-Economic Status, 2022
This data illustrates the near-universal level of smartphone ownership among 15-year-olds in Europe, emphasising the minimal disparity between socioeconomic groups across Europe. By the age of 15, owning a smartphone has become the norm across Europe, with an average ownership rate of 98%, and minimal disparities between socioeconomic tiers in most member states. In countries such as Poland, Denmark and Ireland, access is almost universal regardless of background, reflecting a shift whereby social disadvantage is no longer defined by a lack of hardware, but by the ability to manage and limit its use. However, significant economic barriers persist on the European Union's periphery. In Turkey, for example, there is still a 23 percentage point gap between low-socioeconomic status (73.4%) and high-socioeconomic status (96.6%) teenagers, indicating that universal access is not yet a global reality.
Preferred information sources for social and political current affairs
This table shows the percentage of people who prefer to get their information about social and political current affairs from the sources listed. TV remains the dominant medium, with 71% of respondents identifying it as a primary source. A significant secondary cluster of sources is closely followed, with nearly equal preference levels: radio (43%), the printed or online press (41%), search engines (40%), social media platforms (40%) and personal networks such as friends and family (40%). Digital-specific and emerging formats are less popular overall, with video platforms cited by 26% of respondents, followed by podcasts (15%) and AI chatbots (9%). Formal institutional sources, such as school teachers or university lecturers, are among the least popular options, with a mere 6% preference. The data indicates a clear hierarchy in which traditional broadcast media still lead, while a broad range of digital and interpersonal sources have consolidated around a 40% share of public preference.
Share of Population Who Had Issues When Using a Website or App of Public Authorities (2022)
This chart shows the percentage of individuals who had issues when using a website or app of public authorities (specifically reporting that the platform was difficult to use) in European Union and Norway. Reported difficulties range from 7.06% in Greece to 39.13% in Spain. This over five-fold difference suggests that the user experience of e-Government services varies widely based on national design standards, the complexity of administrative procedures, and the maturity of digital infrastructure. In a regional context, highly digitised nations such as Norway (34.11%), Finland (23.41%), and France (23.83%) report surprisingly high levels of difficulty, potentially reflecting higher citizen usage of such websites and applications or more complex, multi-functional systems that offer more points of potential failure. Conversely, Baltic and Central European states like Estonia (9.44%) and Poland (7.74%) align with Germany (8.38%) in reporting relatively low user frustration, suggesting more streamlined or accessible digital public interfaces compared to the higher-friction environments observed in Ireland (25.7%) and Luxembourg (20.6%).
Share of users in the EU showing patterns of social media addiction, by age groups NEW
This chart illustrates the proportion of EU users exhibiting patterns indicative of social media addiction (based on responders' self-identification of addiction patterns), specifically defined as the tendency to neglect work, school, or family responsibilities. The data reveal a significant 'functional impairment gap' between generations, with around 33% of those aged 16–30 reporting that their use of social media interferes with their daily responsibilities. This rate is almost triple that of the older cohort, with only 12% of users aged 31 and over reporting similar patterns of neglect.
Social Media Participation of Youth (16 to 29 Years Old), 2021-2025
The chart shows data on social media participation (i.e., participation in social networks: creating user profiles, posting messages or other contributions to social media) for individuals aged 16 to 29 years old over the years 2021-2025. The data indicates a significant expansion in social networking engagement, with the EU-27 average rising from 82.9% in 2021 to 89.28% in 2025.
Social Media Participation: Youth (16-29) vs. General Population (2025)
In 2025, active participation in social networking (i.e., participation in social networks: creating user profiles, posting messages or other contributions to Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is the dominant digital activity for European youth, with nearly 89% of the EU-27 youth population maintaining profiles and posting content compared to just 67% of the general population. The data highlights a profound gap across the continent, most notably in Croatia (+29pp), Austria (+28pp), and Poland (+27pp), where young people are exponentially more involved in social media than older generations. Even in major economies where general social media participation is relatively low, such as Germany (59%) and Italy (56%), the youth demographic remains highly active at 84% and 80%, respectively.
Social Media Platforms Used by Young Users for Information on Political and Social Issues
This chart shows which social media platforms are used most frequently by young people (aged 16–30) in the 27 European Union member states to access information on political issues. Significant regional variations exist among member states beyond the European average: in Italy and Portugal, for example, Instagram usage for news peaks at 59% and 56%, respectively. Although it is used less frequently on average, Facebook remains the primary news source for young people in Lithuania (56%), Hungary (55%) and Croatia (54%). TikTok usage is highest in Austria and Hungary (both 49%), while YouTube is the preferred platform in Ireland and Poland (both 46%). Ireland shows the highest engagement with X (Twitter) at 37%. To better visualise this, select a single social media platform on the X axis.