Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
Youth Perception of Screen Impact (aged 13-18)
This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' survey illustrates a significant 'digital divergence' across the European Union, showing how adolescents (aged 13–18) perceive the impact of screens on their peers' lives. On average, European youth are slightly positive, with 40% reporting a positive impact and 29% a negative one. However, these figures mask extreme geographic disparities in technological trust. A significant regional trend emerges between the Mediterranean and Baltic states and Central and Western Europe. Malta (79% positive) and Cyprus (81% positive) have the most optimistic attitudes towards technology in the European Union, with 50% of Maltese young people describing the impact as "very positive". In stark contrast, a 'precautionary sentiment' dominates in the Czech Republic (45% negative) and France (42% negative), where nearly half of the youth population views screen time as harmful to their generation.
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.
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 Self-Reports and Parental Observations of Negative Perceptions of Social Media (in the past 30 Days)
This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' reveals a significant 'visibility gap' between the physical and mental experiences of adolescents and how these are perceived by their parents. The data show that adolescents consistently report much higher levels of distress than their parents notice in almost every category. The most significant discrepancies are found in 'hidden' physical symptoms: adolescents are twice as likely as their parents to report headaches (33% vs 17%), tired eyes (34% vs 18%) and back/neck pain (24% vs 10%). While parents are relatively aware of their children’s concentration difficulties (27% vs. 32%), they are largely unaware of their children’s sleep problems (30% vs. 16%) and substance use (13% vs. 4%).
Youth Symptoms by Weekend Screen Time Intensity
This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' clearly shows the relationship between the intensity of weekend screen time and the prevalence of physical and psychological symptoms among 13–18-year-old adolescents. The data show that, as screen time increases, the reporting of all measured symptoms, ranging from tired eyes to substance use, rises in a near-linear fashion. Among the heaviest users (12+ hours per day), the prevalence of exhaustion and concentration issues is almost triple that of light users (under 2 hours). A significant trend emerges at the six-hour mark, which appears to be a critical 'acceleration point' for digital harm. Once adolescents exceed 6 hours of weekend screen time, the percentage reporting sleep problems (33%) and difficulty focusing (37%) increases sharply and continues to rise until it reaches a saturation point affecting nearly half the population in the 10–12-hour bracket. Notably, high-risk indicators such as substance use (tobacco, alcohol and drugs) more than double when usage increases from 4 hours (10%) to 12 hours (23%).
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.