European children worry about effects of technology on the future of the planet, new study finds

While they are happy to use digital technology, young people are aware of the risks, including online bullying and invasions of privacy

Smartphones are the number one device favoured by young people to access the internet in European countries

While children across Europe embrace digital technology, they 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, a new report found.

The study, from EU Kids Online was launched last week at the Irish EU Presidency Conference on Online Safety for Children and Young People, at Dublin Castle.

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 found that smartphones are 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 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, with 87% 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% of girls compared with 55% of boys use a smartphone to go online several times each day.

AI developments

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% 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. Four in ten respondents were concerned that AI-based technologies damage the environment and consume too much natural resources, 41%, and that AI may surpass human intelligence in a way that makes it impossible for humans to maintain control over it, 40%.

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

Privacy

Children are 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% 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%.

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% of children encountering hateful messages at least every month.

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

Children also report encountering a range of potentially harmful online content. Across the 19 countries, violent images are the most reported category, 40%, followed by content about ways to be very thin, 39%, and self-harm, 37%. Content about suicide is the least commonly reported of the categories analysed, 25%.

Country variances

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.

Co-author Professor Sonia Livingstone, from the LSE, said: ““But, since European children gain social and information benefits from going online, it is vital to more effectively improve children’s safety online.”