Estonia

In brief: Estonian findings from EU Kids Online 2020

The use of the internet is thoroughly embedded in Estonian children’s daily lives: 97% of children aged 9 to 17 access the internet every day, using at least one device. Children from Russian-speaking families spend more time online than children from Estonian-speaking families (both on schooldays and at weekends). For example, only 6% of Estonian-speaking children spent more than 6 hours online during the week, while the proportion of heavy users among Russian-speaking children was 14%.

Searching for new friends and contacts plays a big role in children’s online communication. Almost half (46%) of the children had had online contact with someone they had never met face-to-face. Every third child who had had contact with strangers on the internet had also met that person face-to-face.

In eight years, the percentage of children who had experienced cyberbullying had not decreased, despite numerous stakeholder initiatives. Thirty-nine per cent of the children had encountered harmful websites, most often hate speech. Most of those Estonian children who had experienced online harm used a communicative coping strategy, mostly consulting their friends or parents. The latter, however, were not always aware of their children’s encounters of internet risks, as more than a quarter of the children tended to keep their negative online experiences to themselves.

Estonian parents can still be considered active mediators of their children’s internet use and safety. Most of the parents (92%) said that they had talked to their child about what the child did online, and 59% had given advice about using the internet safely. Children, however, considered their parents’ role in the social mediation of their internet use much smaller.

Estonian-language website

Highlights

  • Estonian children and their parents are active and confident internet users, with less than half of the children claiming they needed some guidance when using the internet; 79% of the parents said that they knew a lot about using the internet. The myth about ‘digital natives’ still prevails among Estonian parents. Only half of them believed that they knew more about the internet compared to their children, even though the data about skills did not confirm this. 

  • Kalmus, V., Tambaum, T., & Abuladze, L. (2023). Use of digital tools, digital skills and mental well-being. In M. Sisask (Ed.), Estonian Human Development Report 2023: Mental Health and Well-Being (pgs235−250). Tallinn: SA Eesti Koostöö Kogu

Reports

Publications

Kalmus, V., Batista, S., Opermann, S., Tercova, N., & Jaron Bedrosova, M. (2024). Child vulnerability in the digital world. In D. Kutsar, M. Beilmann, & O. Nahkur (Eds.), Child Vulnerability and Vulnerable Subjectivity: Interdisciplinary and Comparative Perspectives (pp. 131−152). Cham: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-61333-3_8.

Pangrazio, L., Langton, K., & Siibak, A. (2024). How the family makes itself: Practices, structures and the digital. In: J. Sefton-Green, O. Erstad, & K. Mannell (Eds.), The Platformization of the Family: Towards a Research Agenda (pp. 47−68). Palgrave.

Kalmus, V., Tambaum, T., & Abuladze, L. (2023). Use of digital tools, digital skills and mental well-being. In: M. Sisask (Ed.), Estonian Human Development Report 2023: Mental Health and Well-Being (pp. 235−250). Tallinn: Estonian Cooperation Assembly.

Kikerpill, K., & Siibak, A. (2023). AI in schools and universities: Mapping central debates through enthusiasms and concerns. In: Research Handbook on AI and Communication. (pp. 94−107). Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI: 10.4337/9781803920306.00014.

Kikerpill, K., & Siibak, A. (2023). App-hazard disruption: An empirical investigation of media discourses on ChatGPT in educational contexts. Computers in the Schools, 40(4), 334−355. DOI: 10.1080/07380569.2023.2244941.

Kikerpill, K., & Siibak, A. (2023). Schools engaged in doom-monitoring students’ online interactions and content creation: An analysis of dominant media discourses. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 28(1), 76−82. DOI: 10.1111/camh.12621

Kalmus, V., Sukk, M., & Soo, K. (2022). Towards more active parenting: Trends in parental mediation of children’s internet use in European countries. Children & Society, 36(5), 1026−1042. DOI: 10.1111/chso.12553 

Siibak, A., & Kask, P.H. (2022). Teacher-student interactions and teacher self-disclosure on social media: Estonian students’ perceptions and experiences. Mediální studia / Media Studies, 16(1), 46−64.

Kalmus, V., & O’Neill, B. (2021). Through mature and yet fresh eyes: Researching emerging issues in the field of children and media. Communications, 46(3), 327−331. DOI: 10.1515/commun-2021-2050

Pedaste, M., Kalmus, V., & Vainonen, K. (2021). Digipädevuse dimensioonid ja nende hindamine põhikoolis [Dimensions of digital competence and its assessment in basic school]. Estonian Journal of Education, 9(2), 212−243. DOI: 10.12697/eha.2021.9.2.09

Siibak, A., & Mascheroni, G. (2021). Datafied Childhoods: Data Practices and Imaginaries in Children’s Lives. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Sukk, M., & Siibak, A. (2021). Caring dataveillance and the construction of “good parenting”: Reflections of Estonian parents and pre-teens. Communications, 46(3), 446−467. DOI:10.1515/commun-2021-0045

Sukk, M., & Siibak, A. (2021) “My mom just wants to know where I am”. Estonian pre-teens perspectives on intimate surveillance by parents. Journal of Children and Media, DOI: 10.1080/17482798.2021.2014646

Jürisaar, K., & Siibak, A. (2020). Õpetajate küberkiusamine ja võimalikud sekkumised koolis: õpilastepoolset küberkiusamist kogenud õpetajate vaade [Teacher cyberbullying and possible interventions at school: A view of teachers experiencing student cyberbullying]. Estonian Journal of Education, 8(2), 192−218. DOI: 10.12697/eha.2020.8.2.08

Kalmus, V., & Siibak, A. (2020). Eesti noored virtuaalses arvamusruumis [Estonian youth in the virtual opinion space]. In H. Sooväli-Sepping (Ed.), Eesti inimarengu aruanne 2019/2020 [Estonian Human Development Report 2019/2020]. Tallinn: Estonian Cooperation Assembly.

Kalmus, V., Soo, K., & Siibak, A. (2020). Eesti noorte veebiriskid ja nendega toimetulek [Online risks of Estonian youth and their coping strategies]. In A.-A. Allaste, & R. Nugin (Eds.), Noorteseire aastaraamat 2019-2020: Noorte elu avamata küljed [Youth Monitoring Yearbook 2019-2020: Unopened Aspects of Young People’s Lives] (pp. 77−99). Tallinn: Estonian Youth Work Centre, Tallinn University.

Murumaa-Mengel, M., & Siibak, A. (2020). From fans to followers to anti-fans: Young online audiences of microcelebrities. In M. Filimowicz, & V. Tzankova (Eds.), Reimagining Communication: Meaning (pp. 228−245). London: Routledge.

Siibak, A. (2020). Digipõlvkonnast sotsiaalmeedia põlvkonnaks: põlvkondlikku enesemääratlust kujundavad trendid Eesti noorte internetikasutuses [From a digital generation to a social media generation: Trends in guiding the generational we-sense in the internet use of Estonian youth]. Methis. Studia Humaniora Estonica, 26, 17−34. DOI:10.7592/methis.v21i26.16908

Siibak, A., & Kalmus, V. (2020). Äratuskell uueks tiigrihüppeks [Wake-up call for a new Tiger jump]. In I. Ibrus, M. Tamm, & K. Tiidenberg (Eds.), Eesti digikultuuri manifest [Estonian Digital Culture Manifesto] (pp. 63−70). Tallinn: Tallinn University Press.

Lipu, M., & Siibak, A. (2019). “Take it down!”: Estonian parents’ and pre-teens’ opinions and experiences with sharenting. Media International Australia, 170(1), 57−67. DOI: 10.1177/1329878X19828366

Murumaa-Mengel, M., & Siibak, A. (2019). Compelled to be an outsider: How students on a social media detox self-construct their generation. Comunicazioni Sociali, 2, 263−275. DOI: 10.26350/001200_000063

Siibak, A., & Nevski, E. (2019). Older siblings as mediators of infants’ and toddlers’ (digital) media use. In O. Erstad, R. Flewitt, B. Kümmerling-Meibauer, & I. S. Pires Pereira (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Digital Literacies in Early Childhood (pp. 123−133). London: Routledge.

Siibak, A., & Traks, K. (2019). Dark sides of sharenting. Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, 11(1), 115−121. DOI: 10.1386/cjcs.11.1.115_1

Kalmus, V., Masso, A., Opermann, S., & Täht, K. (2018). Mobile time as a blessing or a curse: Perceptions of smartphone use and personal time among generation groups in Estonia. Trames: Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 22(1, 72/67), 45−62. DOI: 10.3176/tr.2018.1.03

Nevski, E., & Siibak, A. (2018). Young children’s (0-3 years) touchscreen use and parental mediation: Pedagogical advice. In C. Pascal, A. Bertram, & M. Veisson (Eds.), Pedagogic Innovations in Early Childhood Education in Cross-Cultural Contexts (pp. 192-207). London: Routledge.

Opermann, S. (2018). Youth news use in Estonia. In Y. Andersson, U. Dalquist, & J. Ohlsson (Eds.), Youth and News in a Digital Media Environment: Nordic-Baltic Perspectives (pp. 91−104). Göteborg: Nordicom.

Sukk, M., & Soo, K. (2018). EU Kids Online’i Eesti 2018. aasta uuringu esialgsed tulemused [Preliminary findings of the EU Kids Online 2018 Estonian survey]. V. Kalmus, R. Kurvits, & A. Siibak (Eds). Tartu: University of Tartu, Institute of Social Studies.

Kalmus, V. (2016). The emergence of the ‘digital generation’ in Estonia’s transition period. In R. Nugin, A. Kannike, & M. Raudsepp (Eds.), Generations in Estonia: Contemporary Perspectives on Turbulent Times (pp. 319−341). Tartu: University of Tartu Press.

Kalmus, V., Blinka, L., & Ólafsson, K. (2015). Does it matter what Mama says: Evaluating the role of parental mediation in European adolescents’ excessive internet use. Children and Society, 29(2), 122−133. DOI: 10.1111/chso.12020

Karaseva, A., Siibak, A., & Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt, P. (2015). Relationships between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, subject cultures, and mediation practices of students’ use of digital technology. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 9(1). DOI: 10.5817/CP2015-1-6

Soo, K., Kalmus, V., & Ainsaar, M. (2015). Eesti õpetajate roll laste internetikasutuse sotsiaalses vahendamises [The role of Estonian teachers in the social mediation of children’s internet use]. Estonian Journal of Education, 3(2), 156−185. DOI: 10.12697/eha.2015.3.2.06

Talves, K., & Kalmus, V. (2015). Gendered mediation of children’s internet use: A keyhole for looking into changing socialization practices. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 9(1). DOI: 10.5817/CP2015-1-4

Trültzsch-Wijnen, C. W., Trültzsch-Wijnen, S., & Siibak, A. (2015). Using and not using social media: What triggers young people’s SNS practices? In F. Zeller, C. Ponte, & B. O’Neill (Eds.), Revitalising Audience Research: Innovations in European Audience Research (pp. 176−194). London & New York: Routledge.

Kalmus, V., Siibak, A., & Blinka, L. (2014). Internet and child well-being. In A. Ben-Arieh, I. Frones, F. Casas, & J. E. Korbin (Eds.), Handbook of Child Well-Being: Theories, Methods and Policies in Global Perspective (pp. 2093−2133). Dordrecht: Springer.

Murumaa-Mengel, M., & Siibak, A. (2014). Roles of a researcher: Reflections after doing a case-study with youth on a sensitive topic. In L. Kramp, N. Carpentier, A. Hepp, I. Tomanic-Trivundza, H. Nieminen, R. Kunelius, T. Olsson, E. Sundin, & R. Kilborn (Eds.), Media Practice and Everyday Agency in Europe (pp. 249–259). Bremen: Edition lumière.

Kalmus, V. (2013). Laste turvalisus uues meediakeskkonnas [Children’s safety in the new media environment]. In M. Heidmets (Ed.), Eesti inimarengu aruanne 2012/2013: Eesti maailmas [Estonian Human Development Report 2012/2013: Estonia in the World] (pp. 83–85). Tallinn: Estonian Cooperation Assembly.

Kalmus, V., & Ólafsson, K. (2013). Editorial: A child-centred perspective on risks and opportunities in cyberspace. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 7(1). DOI: 10.5817/CP2013-1-1

Oolo, E., & Siibak, A. (2013). Performing for one’s imagined audience: Social steganography and other privacy strategies of Estonian teens on networked publics. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 7(1). DOI: 10.5817/CP2013-1-7

Siibak, A., & Tamme, V. (2013). “Who introduced granny to Facebook?”: An exploration of everyday family interaction in web-based communication environments. Northern Lights, 11, 71−89. DOI: 10.1386/nl.11.1.71_1

Kalmus, V. (2012). Making sense of the social mediation of children’s internet use: Perspectives for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research. In C.W. Wijnen, S. Trültzsch, & C. Ortner (Eds.), Medienwelten im Wandel: Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Positionen, Perspektiven und Konsequenzen. Festschrift für Ingrid Paus-Hasebrink (pp. 137–149). Wien: Springer.

Kalmus, V., & Roosalu, T. (2012). Institutional filters on children’s internet use: An additional explanation of cross-national differences in parental mediation. In M. Walrave, W. Heirman, S. Mels, C. Timmerman & H. Vandebosch (Eds.), e-Youth: Balancing between Opportunities and Risks (pp. 235–250). Brussels: Peter Lang.

Soo, K., Ainsaar, M., & Kalmus, V. (2012). Behind the curtains of e-state: Determinants of online sexual harassment among Estonian children. Studies of Transition States and Societies, 4(2), 35–48.

Team

Veronika_Kalmus(1)

Veronika Kalmus (PhD in Sociology) is a Professor of Sociology and the Director of the Doctoral Programme in Sociology at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. Her research focuses on socialisation, generations and inter-generational relationships, mediatisation, platformisation, and AI. She participates in several international research networks and projects (e.g., CHANSE-funded PlatFAMs, REMEDIS and PROMISE) and is a member of Academia Europaea (Section of Film, Media and Visual Studies).

Andra Siibak 150x150

Andra Siibak (PhD in Media and Communication) is a Professor of Media Studies and the Director of the Doctoral Programme in Media and Communication at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. Her main field of research focuses on the datafication of childhood, datafication of education, AI, and privacy. Together with Giovanna Mascheroni she has co-authored two monographs “Datafied Childhoods: Data Practices and Imaginaries in Children’s Lives” (Peter Lang, 2021), and “Children and AI: Changing Digital Lives” (Palgrave, forthcoming in 2025). Andra is a member of the Film, Media and Visual Studies section of Academia Europaea.

IirisTuvi(1)

Iiris Tuvi (PhD in Psychology) is a Research Fellow in Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu. Her current research interests are children’s mental health and wellbeing, the use of digital technologies, and digital competencies. She is also interested in studying cognitive mechanisms of deception, susceptibility to deception, and mechanisms of visual attention. She has participated in international and national research projects such as CO:RE, “Scaling Up Educational Innovations in Schools (SEIS)”, “The Study of Estonian Children’s Mental Health” and many more.

Signe Opermann

Signe Opermann (PhD in Media and Communication) is a Research Fellow in Media Sociology at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. Her research focuses on media repertoires, social generations, mediatisation, and platformisation. She participates in international research projects such as PlatFAMs and PROMISE (funded by the CHANSE programme). Her teaching covers social theories, the media system, and research principles.

Kadri_Soo(1)

Kadri Soo (PhD in Sociology) is a Lecturer in Social Welfare at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. Her research interests include child wellbeing, children’s rights, gender-based violence, (online) sexual harassment of young people, and child abuse. She participates in international research projects such as Children’s Worlds (International Survey on Children’s Well-Being, ISCWeB) and EU Kids Online. She is a member of the International Society for Child Indicators.

Kristjan Kikerpill 2(1)

Kristjan Kikerpill (PhD in Sociology) is a Lecturer in Information Law and Digital Sociology at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. In the past few years, his main research topics have included the datafication of education, privacy, and the use of AI-based digital technologies. He has also researched the topics of cyber criminology and technology-mediated fraud. Kristjan’s latest work is a co-authored chapter published in The Routledge International Handbook of Online Deviance titled “Contextual factors of online deception and harmful information: Multidisciplinary perspectives”.

Hanna_Kerstina_Kartau 150x150

Hanna Kerstina Kartau is an Analyst at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. She assists in teaching quantitative analysis methods and is in the process of obtaining her master’s degree in “Analysis of Society and Information Processes” at the same institute. Previously she has been a member of the European Social Survey team in Estonia, as well as several other research projects at her home institute, mostly focussing on collecting and analysing quantitative data.

Katre_Lamp(1)

Katre Lamp is a master’s student at the Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu. As part of the EU Kids Online project, her research topic covers “Parental involvement in Estonian schoolchildren’s internet use and the relationship between such involvement and students’ experiences of cyberbullying and anxiety”. Katre also works as a psychologist at a general education school supporting the mental health of Estonian schoolchildren.

Contact

Professor Veronika Kalmus
Institute of Social Studies
University of Tartu
Lossi 36
51003 Tartu
Estonia
Tel: +372 56 623 583
Email: veronika.kalmus@ut.ee