Evidence Library
Comprehensive data charts, academic papers, and statistical analysis on the impact of social media on children and adolescents.
The Role of Algorithmic Recommender Functions TikTok in Promoting Male Supremacist Influencers
Note: Stages represent the exposure progression, or cumulative viewing intervals, with Stage 5 occurring after approximately 400 videos or 2–3 hours of platform engagement. This table tracks the "rabbit hole" effect of social media algorithms by measuring the percentage of toxic/manosphere content recommended to experimental accounts over five progressive rounds of viewing. Conducted by Dublin City University (2024) in Ireland, the study utilised ten experimental accounts on blank smartphones to simulate the digital experiences of 16 and 18-year-old males on TikTok. The researchers tested two distinct user profiles: (1) generic (Gen) accounts seeking "gender-normative" interests like sports, gym content, and gaming; and manosphere-curious (MC) accounts actively seeking "manfluencer" content (e.g., Andrew Tate, anti-feminist topics). Researchers manually coded over 29 hours of video to identify the frequency of toxic or male-supremacist recommendations. The data demonstrates a rapid escalation in toxic recommendations across all profiles. While most accounts began with 0% toxic recommendations at stage 1, the algorithmic "recommender functions" quickly pivoted: by Round 5, the 16-year-old Generic account (Gen) saw the highest saturation, with 56% of all recommended content being classified as toxic; accounts that initially showed interest in manosphere content (MC) were targeted more aggressively in earlier rounds (e.g., the 16 MC accounts hit 36% toxicity by Round 3). Regardless of whether the initial intent was "generic" or "curious," all accounts were fed toxic content within the first 23–26 minutes of use, eventually resulting in a majority-toxic feed by the end of the experiment.
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.
Trends in the Identification of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2020–2024)
The data reveals a record-breaking surge in the identification of CSAM, with 2024 figures surpassing the previous five-year peak by over 140%. The most alarming metric is the volume of confirmed illegal records, which jumped by 202% in a single year to reach 1.63 million.
Usefulness of regulatory inititatives (2025)
This table evaluates the perceived usefulness of various regulatory initiatives aimed at protecting minors online, as reported by young people (aged 12-17) in five European countries. The data reveal a strong preference for safety measures based on design over prohibitive ones. The highest levels of support are found for blurring inappropriate content (64% "very useful") and establishing support channels for reporting harm (60% "very useful"). This indicates that minors prioritise functional tools that mitigate exposure and provide immediate recourse. The majority of respondents view specific default settings for minors (53%) and shifting from algorithmic tracking to interest-based selection (52%) as highly useful interventions. Similarly, behavioural nudges such as 'Think before you share' pop-ups are considered highly effective by 52% of young people. In contrast, prohibitive and exclusionary measures receive the lowest 'very useful' ratings in the dataset. Age-based restrictions on social media (49%), smartphones (44%) and blanket bans on devices in schools (43%) attract the most scepticism, with school bans receiving the highest proportion of "not useful" responses at 17%.
Victim Demographics by Biological Sex
Female victims continued to be overwhelmingly represented, comprising 98.71% of reported cases, an increase from 94.60% in 2023. In contrast, the percentage of male victims has decreased significantly, dropping from 3.66% in 2023 to just 0.76% in 2024. Cases involving both sexes have also declined slightly, representing 0.53% of reports. These trends highlight the persistent disproportionate representation of female victims while reflecting a sharp decrease in male victims and a minor reduction in cases involving both sexes.
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.