Hateful comments, losing control over AI and data privacy: Major new report highlights children’s online concerns across Europe

Children across Europe are embracing digital technology but are concerned about the risks that come with it, including online hate, privacy invasions and what future technology could mean for the planet and human autonomy.

These are some of the key findings in a major new report from EU Kids Online launched last week at the Irish EU Presidency Conference on Online Safety for Children and Young People, at Dublin Castle.

The findings come at a critical moment in the European debate, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to use her State of the European Union address today (16 September) to outline plans for EU-wide age restrictions or other limits on children’s access to social media.

In a new blog article published on LSE European Politics and Policy, EU Kids Online researchers argue that Europe should retain faith in its hard-fought regulatory framework for safer, more rights-respecting digital environments, rather than defaulting to access restrictions.

Drawing on a survey of 28,465 children aged 10 to 16 across Europe, researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the University of Oslo, the University of Ljubljana, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and the University of Akureyri find that smartphones are now central to young people's daily lives with children's digital experiences evolving faster than policy can keep pace.

For the report, EU Kids Online, a multinational research network, founded at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and now co-ordinated by the University of Oslo, surveyed children in 19 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czechia, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia) about their online activities and experiences.

Internet access

The researchers found smartphones are by far the main device children use to access the internet. Across the 19 countries surveyed, 87 per cent of children use a smartphone or mobile phone to go online every day.

Girls report more frequent smartphone access than boys overall. Across the countries, 61 per cent of girls compared with 55 per cent of boys use a smartphone to go online several times each day.

AI developments

AI is quickly becoming an integral part of children’s everyday lives. Across Europe, around two-thirds of children report using AI tools at least once in the past month, with many seeing them as valuable for learning, innovation and efficiency. For example, 37 per cent of the children surveyed hope AI will boost human creativity.

In addition, a third say they are confident new technologies will free students and workers from spending time on boring activities.

However, others are concerned about the future of AI. Specifically, four in ten children surveyed expressed concern that AI-based technologies damage the environment and consume too much natural resources (41 per cent) and that AI may surpass human intelligence in a way that makes it impossible for humans to maintain control over it (40 per cent).

Worries about the environmental impact of AI range from 57 per cent in Ireland to 31 per cent in Finland and Switzerland. Similarly, the preoccupation that AI might surpass human intelligence and evade our control is highest in Ireland (55 per cent) while lowest in Belgium (28 per cent).

Privacy

Children are using digital technologies more frequently, but they are also wary about how their data is collected and used.

Half worry their personal information is being used for targeted advertising, and four in ten fear companies share their data with third parties without their consent.

There is some suspicion of tech firms - 39 per cent do not believe companies keep their online behaviour and preferences safe and over half do not agree it is OK for companies to track what they do online (54 per cent).

Concerns also extend to how data is used by authorities and institutions. More than a quarter of children worry information collected by apps and websites could influence police decisions about who to search or arrest, while only one in five support the use of data, algorithms and AI to predict outcomes such as school admissions or future job prospects.

Hateful messages and harmful content

Exposure to harmful content is a significant feature of children’s online experiences, with 30 per cent of children encountering hateful messages at least every month. However, this exposure does vary quite significantly across countries – with at least monthly exposure ranging from 15 per cent in Ireland to 40 per cent in Serbia.

Girls report greater exposure than boys overall with 60 per cent of girls and 55 per cent of boys having encountered hateful messages across the countries.

Children also report encountering a range of potentially harmful online content. Across the 19 countries, gory or violent images are the most commonly reported category (40 per cent), followed by content about ways to be very thin (39 per cent) and ways of physically harming or hurting oneself (37 per cent). Content about suicide is the least commonly reported of the categories analysed (25 per cent).

Looking specifically at content about ways of physically harming or hurting oneself, 15 per cent of children report seeing such content at least every month and a further 24 per cent have seen it a few times. At least monthly exposure ranges from 6 per cent in Ireland to 24 per cent in Belgium and the Czech Republic.

Taken together, these expectations, worries and hopes suggest priorities for policymakers: from minimising the environmental costs of AI to ensuring human oversight in every algorithmic and AI process, to ensuring that safer, more private and empowering digital spaces and technologies are designed.

Country variance

While several patterns have emerged across Europe, the report also highlights disparities in children's digital experiences across countries. The researchers argue that these variations underline the fact there is no single 'European digital childhood' and that policymakers should avoid one-size-fits-all solutions when designing online safety measures.

Commenting on the report, lead author Professor Elisabeth Staksrud from the University of Oslo said: “There is no single European digital childhood. Our comparative research shows us both what children share and where national contexts make a real difference.

“One of the clearest findings is how much children’s digital lives differ between countries. European averages can hide substantial national variation in opportunities, skills, risks and everyday practices.

“Comparative research allows us to see which patterns are widespread and which are strongly shaped by national context. Without that comparison, it is easy to mistake a country-specific experience for a universal one.

“The large differences between countries are a reminder that there is no single European digital childhood – and therefore unlikely to be one simple policy solution that fits all children and all contexts.”

Commenting on the report and its key findings, co-author Professor Sonia Livingstone, from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) said:

“The 2026 EU Kids Online survey finds a sharp rise in the proportion of children who have been upset online in the past month – from 7 per cent in 2020 to 23 per cent. And only 48 per cent of children say they feel safe online compared with 65 per cent who reported always or often feeling safe online in 2020.

“More surprisingly, only 50 per cent of children say their parents talk to them about what they do online, compared with 66 per cent in 2020. Instead, parents are relying more on parental controls.

“But, since European children gain social and information benefits from going online, it is vital to more effectively improve children’s safety online.”

Although the UK is not one of the 19 countries included in the report, Professor Sonia Livingstone argues the results are important for UK policymakers. She adds:

“These pan-European findings add weight to urgent deliberations in the UK about strengthening the Online Safety Act. Most likely too, evidence which informs regulation in Europe could change the platforms in ways that affect, and hopefully benefit, British children.”