Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
Mandatory collection of personal information on websites and apps, stating that they do not knowingly collect children’s personal information (2025)
This chart illustrates the discrepancy between platform privacy policies and actual data collection practices, as revealed by the 2025 Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) Sweep. The study involved 27 global privacy authorities, including those from the UK and Canada, who replicated the user experience across 876 websites and apps that are popular with children. The data focuses specifically on the 54% of services that state in their policies that they 'do not knowingly collect children’s personal information', yet still require the disclosure of sensitive identifiers for account creation. A significant trend emerges in the identification gap: despite claiming to avoid collecting data on children, the majority of these platforms (62%) require an email address, and half (50%) require a username (often featuring the user's first and last name). Furthermore, 42% of these services still insist on a legal name and 15% require a phone number. These findings reveal a lack of transparency in the digital ecosystem. By using 'non-collection' statements as a legal shield while simultaneously mandating the collection of high-value personal data, these platforms leave young users vulnerable to tracking and profiling, without implementing the necessary child-specific protective controls.
Mental Health in 15-Year-Olds by Gender (2022)
The chart shows the share of 15-year-olds experiencing poor mental health, specifically symptoms of depression and anxiety, disaggregated by gender. In 2022, nearly half of all adolescents (47%) report symptoms of depression and over half (53%) struggle with anxiety. Female adolescents report higher rates of mental health struggles, with 60% experiencing depression and 65% experiencing anxiety.
Minimum ages in social media age restrictions in place or under consideration, by country as of 10 April 2026
This chart shows the age thresholds that are being adopted or debated in OECD member and accession candidate countries as of April 2026. The data reveal clear global convergence around two main 'digital majority' ages: 15 and 16. While Australia, Brazil and Indonesia have already moved into the enforcement phase with a 16-year-old limit, the vast majority of European nations, including Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, are currently debating this same threshold. A significant trend emerges in the clustering of European Member States. The largest group, comprising France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Nordic states, is coalescing around a 15-year age limit. A smaller group consisting of Austria and Canada is considering a 14-year threshold. In contrast, the United States presents a fragmented landscape, with proposals ranging from 13 to 16 years old.
Most Effective Actions to Improve Youth Wellbeing Online
This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' highlights significant differences in 'policy priorities' between European adolescents and their parents. While both groups agree on the importance of implementing existing rules more effectively (48% of young people vs. 47% of parents), they disagree on the most effective secondary measures. The data reveal that parents are significantly more focused on prohibition: 54% view additional age limits or restrictions as a top priority, which is a 9-percentage-point lead over adolescents, who would be directly affected by such bans. Adolescents are 16 percentage points more likely than their parents to believe that improved access to mental health support is a key solution (42% versus 26%). Young people also place a higher value on institutional empowerment, favouring education in schools (44%) over restrictive age-gating (45%).
Negative Perceptions of Social Media (Youth' and Parents' perceptions)
This chart from the 2026 Flash Eurobarometer 'Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people’s mental health' survey shows that there is a high degree of generational alignment regarding the psychological pressures of social media. Unlike the 'utility gap' observed in positive perceptions, there is a high degree of agreement between parents and adolescents regarding the prevalence of social comparison and 'fear of missing out' (FOMO). Both groups report that approximately 45% of young people compare themselves to others and 41% suffer from FOMO. This suggests that these are widely recognised harms of the current digital environment. While parents slightly overestimate their child's stress and anxiety levels (38% vs. 33%), they significantly underestimate the extent of physical sleep disruption. Adolescents are 7 percentage points more likely to report difficulty falling asleep than their parents realise (38% vs 31%). Furthermore, almost one-third of adolescents (31%) report feeling 'sad' or 'left out' as a direct result of using social media.
Online activities (Base: All children 10–16, European Average across 19 countries)
This EU Kids Online 2026 dataset provides European policymakers with a comprehensive breakdown of children's daily digital behaviours. It reveals a sharp divide between passive/relational consumption and active public participation. The data shows that children's online activity is mainly made up of private social interaction and entertainment. 78% communicate with friends, 74% watch social media videos, 71% listen to music and 67% stay in contact with parents or caregivers daily or almost daily (combining "several times each day" and "daily"). Academic and informal learning activities occupy a solid middle tier: 38% use the internet for schoolwork daily or almost daily, and 28% do so for skill development. Conversely, activities involving public exposure, active content creation, civic engagement or high-risk behaviours remain rare for the vast majority. Only 13% create or edit digital content daily, and 71% to 80% never participate in public online discussions, digital campaigns or petitions. Furthermore, potentially risky activities such as sharing information about others without consent (74% never), publicly posting identifiable information to strangers (60% never), or searching for mental health advice online (54% never) are not routine behaviours for most young people (at least as declared by them). These patterns demonstrate that European children declare to primarily use digital platforms for private socialising and entertainment rather than for public broadcasting, commercial trading, or political activism.
Opinion on age target for social media prohibition for minors - respondents 18 and above
This chart illustrates public opinion of adults (aged 18 and above) in the European Union regarding the appropriate legal age for accessing social media platforms, as determined by a 2026 FRA survey of more than 26000 adults. The data reveal a strong preference for high age limits, with the ag of 16 (16%) and the age of 18 or above (16%) emerging as the most popular legal cutoffs. Combining these with those favouring ages of 14 and 15, almost 56% of the population supports a 'digital majority' age of 14 or higher. A significant trend emerges regarding the rejection of unregulated access: only 1% of respondents believe there should be no age limitations, signalling near-universal public agreement on the necessity of age restrictions. While the preference for a 16-year limit provides a democratic mandate for the 'hard prohibitive' models currently proposed in countries such as Spain and Denmark, a notable 12% of the population still believes that the decision should remain the responsibility of parents. A significant trend emerges when these results are compared with those of the adolescent demographic (aged 15–17) - chart #68. While adults anchor their preference at the 16- and 18-year thresholds (32% combined), teenagers overwhelmingly favour a younger cutoff of 14 or 15 (31% combined). Furthermore, adults are four times more likely than adolescents to believe that the limit should be set at 18 or over (16% versus 4%), reflecting a far more restrictive outlook compared to adolescents' preference for mid-adolescent entry points. Adults show significantly less platform-specific nuance: they are only half as likely as teenagers to suggest that the limit should 'depend on the social media platform' (5% vs 11%). This suggests that the adult population favours a more uniform, 'blanket' regulatory approach.
Opinion on age target for social media prohibition for minors – Respondents aged 15-17
This chart illustrates the views of adolescents (aged 15–17) on the appropriate legal age for accessing social media, as revealed by a 2026 FRA survey. The data reveal a clear 'youth consensus' centred around the age of 14 or 15, with 15 (16%) and 14 (15%) emerging as the most popular thresholds. Combined with those favouring ages 12 and 13 (13% and 11% respectively), over half of the teenage respondents (55%) support a limit between 12 and 15 years. A significant trend emerges when these results are compared to those of the adult demographic - chart #68. While adults favoured limits of 16 and 18+, adolescents overwhelmingly rejected these higher cutoffs, with only 6% supporting a limit of 16 and 4% supporting a limit of 18. Furthermore, teenagers are twice as likely as adults to suggest that the limit should 'depend on the social media platform' (11%), indicating a more nuanced understanding of platform-specific risks.
Outcomes of Reporting Harmful Content Among 11-17-Year-Olds
This chart from the 2025 Ofcom Children’s Online Safety Tracker assesses the effectiveness of platform reporting mechanisms from the perspective of UK children (aged 11–17). It compares the period before and after the implementation of the UK Online Safety Act and Ofcom’s Children’s Codes. The data reveal a profound 'communication-action paradox': while platforms have significantly improved their procedural transparency, the rate of content removal has declined. There has been a significant shift towards 'process over outcome'. Following the introduction of the new safety duties, there was a more than twofold increase in the number of platforms informing children that 'they would look into it' (rising from 13% to 27%). Conversely, the percentage of reports where 'nothing has happened yet' fell sharply from 26% to 14%. However, this increase in communication coincided with a significant drop in content deactivation, falling from 41% to 27%.
Overall support for social media ban in six European countires (2026)
This table shows the level of public support for banning social media for under-16s across France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland, based on a 2026 YouGov survey. The data reveal a strong 'consensus of concern' in Western and Southern Europe, where support for such a measure consistently exceeds 70%. France leads the group with 79% support, reflecting its legislative momentum towards banning under-15s, followed closely by Britain (76%) and Germany (74%). A significant trend emerges regarding the 'legitimacy gap' in Eastern Europe: while Poland still has a majority in favour (53%), it also has the highest level of public opposition at 39%, which is nearly double the resistance seen in France or Britain.