EU Kids Online Report to be launched at Irish Presidency Conference

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 today (10 September 2026) at the Irish EU Presidency Conference on Online Safety for Children and Young People, at Dublin Castle.

EU Kids Online Report

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 regularly, 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, 41 per cent of those surveyed expressed concern that AI-based technologies damage the environment and consume too much natural resources and that AI may surpass human intelligence in a way that makes it impossible for humans to maintain control over it.

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.

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. On the other hand, 30 per cent say they trust companies to protect their privacy.

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.”
Brian O’Neill, national contact for EU Kids Online in Ireland, and Emeritus Research Fellow at TU Dublin, adds:

“This report provides a rare comparative and complex picture of what it is like to grow up in a digital Europe today. The findings do not support a simple story of technology being either good or bad for children. The key questions are which children benefit, which children are more exposed to harm, and under what circumstances”.

About this report

The report draws on representative comparative data from 28,465 children aged 10 to 16 from 19 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czechia, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia.

The target population for the survey comprised children born between 2009 and 2015, corresponding broadly to ages 10–16 in 2025.

The EU Kids Online 2024/25 survey was designed as a school-based survey of children and young people, with respondents completing a self-administered questionnaire in a classroom setting. Data collection took place between April 2025 and April 2026.

The analyses presented in this report focus primarily on aggregated cross-national patterns rather than detailed country-level comparisons.

The fieldwork in Ireland was commissioned by Coimisiún na Meán and carried out by Ipsos B&A. The survey was conducted in-home with respondents using two separate surveys of children aged 9-17 and a parent/caregiver of each child respondent.  2,004 respondents were surveyed between July 2025 and January 2026 using a modified version of the EU Kids Online questionnaire. A separate country report for Ireland will be released later this year.

The full report will go live on Thursday 10 September.

Staksrud, E., Helsper, E., Livingstone, S., Lobe, B., Mascheroni, G., Stoilova, M., & Ólafsson, K. (2026). The EU Kids Online 2026 comparative study: Children’s views, experiences, opportunities and risks in a digital world. University of Oslo, EU Kids Online. https://hdl.handle.net/11250/5561363

https://doi.org/10.21953/researchonline.lse.ac.uk.00140901

About EU Kids Online

EU Kids Online is a multinational research network. It seeks to enhance knowledge of European children’s online opportunities, risks and safety. It uses multiple methods to map children’s and parents’ experiences of the internet, in dialogue with national and European policy stakeholders.

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