Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
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.
Young Adults' Digital Proficiency by Gender (2025)
This chart shows the digital skills for youth (16-29) by gender, in 2025. On average, 76.17% of EU females aged 16–29 possess basic or above-basic digital skills, outperforming their male counterparts (73.36%) by nearly 3 percentage points. This trend is most extreme in Slovenia, where there is a staggering 12-point gap in favour of females (71% vs 59%) and Cyprus, with a gap of 11 percentage points (74% vs 62%). Denmark shows the highest female digital literacy, with 92%, followed by Czechia with 91.8% and Finland with 91.4%.
Youth (16-29) Internet Use for Civic and Political Participation (2023-2025)
The chart shows data on internet use for civic and political participation for individuals aged 16 to 29 years old over the years 2023-2025. The data reveal that digital civic engagement has become a significant, though periodically volatile, component of youth identity in Europe. The European Union average reached a notable peak in 2024 at 26.06%, coinciding with a period of intense political activity across the Union.
Youth Internet Use by Gender (2025)
The 2025 Eurostat data confirms that young women have become the primary occupants of the European digital landscape. On average, 77% of EU females aged 16–29 were active internet users in the monitored period, compared to 74.5% of their male counterparts. This 2.6-percentage-point suggests that digital platforms are integral to the daily life and social connectivity of young women. The gender disparity is most pronounced in Slovenia, where female active usage outstrips males by over 12 percentage points (71.3% vs. 59%), and in Cyprus, where the gap exceeds 11.7 percentage points. In high-saturation markets like Denmark, female participation reaches 92%. Conversely, a another trend is present in a few countries, with North Macedonia showing the the highest opposite difference between male and female usage (9 percentage points), followed by Serbia with 3.6 percentage points difference.
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.