EU: child safety online, crucial recommendations on 13 July

A new Eurobarometer survey, informs the Commission, confirms the significant impact of too much time spent in front of screens and on social media on the mental and physical health of young people. On average, young people across Europe spend 4.5 hours online during school days and 6.1 hours a day at weekends. As many as 14% of teenagers say they spend more than 10 hours a day in front of a screen.

For the president, “social media can connect and inspire. But when one in three young people say they feel stressed, sad or excludedwe cannot ignore the impact on their mental health and wellbeing. And when a quarter of our young people are faced with problematic content online, from hate speech to body pressure to unexpected violence, it’s a clear sign that it’s time for a change“.