Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
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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.
Social Media Platforms Used by Young Users for Information on Political and Social Issues (EU27 average)
On average across the 27 European member states, Instagram was found to be the most commonly used platform (47%), followed by TikTok (39%) and YouTube (37%). Lower shares obtain information from Facebook (27%) and X (Twitter) (21%). WhatsApp is used for information on political and social issues by 16% of respondents. Other social media and platforms, including Snapchat (9%), Telegram (7%), Messenger (6%), LinkedIn (5%), Discord (4%) and Viber (2%), are mentioned less often by young people as sources of information on political and social issues.
Social Media Use Among 13-Year-Olds by Gender (2022)
Gender differences in problematic media use are highest. Overall, problematic social media use is higher for 13-year old girls than boys. The survey covers 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada.
Status of age restrictions on social media in OECD Member and accession candidate countries (2023-2026)
This chart illustrates the legislative momentum surrounding social media age restrictions in OECD member and accession candidate countries from 2023 to 2026. The data reveals a rapid acceleration in policy activity, with the number of countries addressing the issue set to rise from one in 2023 to 25 by 2026. A significant trend is the shift from political debate to active enforcement. While 2023 and 2024 were characterised almost entirely by proposals 'under consideration', by 2026, the number of countries with restrictions 'in force' (orange) may increase significantly. However, the data also shows that the vast majority of countries (22 out of 25) are still in the 'publicly under consideration' (dark blue) phase.
The percentage of parents reporting that their child aged 8 to 15 years no longer has an account on an age-restricted social media platform versus those who have retained it, by platform
This table shows the proportion of Australian parents who reported whether their child aged 8 to 15 retained or lost their account on major social media platforms following the implementation of age-restriction legislation in Australia in December 2025. The data reveal a significant 'retention gap' across the digital landscape, with the majority of underage users (around 70%) managing to keep their accounts on popular platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. An interesting trend emerges regarding platform-specific efficacy with significant differences between platforms.
The proportion of children using social media platforms who have seen violent content
This table shows the percentage of children using various social media and messaging platforms who have encountered violent content. Exposure is most prevalent on TikTok (44%) and X (43%), with nearly half of young users on these platforms reporting that they have seen such material. Around one-third of children encounter violent content on Facebook (33%), Snapchat (32%) and Instagram (31%). Moderate exposure levels are reported on community and video sites such as YouTube and Reddit (both 26%), with lower rates observed on private messaging services like WhatsApp (18%) and Discord (12%). The lowest reported exposure rates occur on specialised communication and streaming tools, including Twitch (6%) and iMessage (5%). The data indicates a clear hierarchy of risk, with public, algorithmically driven platforms showing significantly higher rates of exposure to violent content than private messaging apps.
Top-5 Main Sources of Information for Young People (16 to 30 Years Old), 2024
This chart shows the top five main sources of information for young people aged 16 to 30. The data reveal a clear predominance of digital-first habits, with social media platforms (42%) such as Instagram and TikTok serving as the primary gateway to information for this demographic. This is followed closely by TV (39%), indicating that while digital platforms lead, traditional broadcast media still maintains a significant foothold in the daily lives of young adults. A significant trend emerges in the fragmentation of other sources: online press and news platforms (26%) trail social media by 16 percentage points, suggesting a shift away from direct news consumption toward algorithmically curated content. Friends, family, and colleagues (25%) remain a critical interpersonal source of information, while video platforms (23%) like YouTube solidify the importance of visual media as a primary information channel.
When you're unsure whether a piece of information on social media is disinformation, what do you typically do?
This table illustrates the typical verification strategies employed by European citizens when encountering suspected disinformation on social media across European member states in 2022. Almost half of European citizens (49%) rely on cross-referencing information to verify social media content. However, specialised fact-checking tools are significantly underutilised, with only 14% of people using them. This 'verification gap' suggests that most users rely on informal peer feedback rather than professional infrastructure to navigate digital falsehoods.