Europeans Call for More Children's Online Safety

A new Eurobarometer survey shows that Europeans are overwhelmingly concerned about all the risks children face on social media. Against the backdrop of increasing reliance on social media, citizens see the need for better protection and tougher action to tackle disinformation. At the same time, given the global challenges, Europeans call for more democratic participation, defence capabilities and a clean energy transition.

A large majority of Europeans want the EU to do more to protect children from the risks online. Europeans are overwhelmingly concerned about all the risks children face on social media. Cyberbullying and harassment top the list of concerns, worrying 71% of respondents, closely followed by fears of online grooming and sexual exploitation (70%), exposure to harmful content such as violence, self-harm or extremism (69%), and misuse of children's personal data (69%). Significant majorities also point to the risk of children being recruited for illegal activities (64%) and exposed to addictive platform design (60%).

A large majority of Europeans want the EU to do more to protect children from the risks online. Nearly two in three Europeans (63%) want EU rules restricting children's access to social media by age, whether through an outright ban below a certain threshold (36%) or delayed access (27%). 15% favour reinforcing law enforcement resources, while 13% prefer leaving oversight to parents and schools without further EU intervention.

Two-thirds of Europeans (66%) use social media every day to get information on current affairs or politics. Against this backdrop,  Europeans' indicate as top priorities to tackle false or misleading information tougher sanctions for illegal online content (44%) and stronger rules for platforms (40%), followed by clear labelling of AI-generated or manipulated content (38%), a minimum age threshold for social media access (37%), and greater investment in media literacy and independent fact-checking (29%).

Europeans also feel attached to the key elements of democracy. Freedom of speech and expression (34%), free and fair elections (32%), and respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights (31%) top Europeans' list of the most important elements of a democratic society, according to the new survey's findings. Fighting corruption (28%), transparency and accountability of political leaders alongside an independent justice system (26%), and citizen participation in public debate and decision-making (22%) are also cited as key pillars. Beyond voting, Europeans see forms of more direct participation as an effective way to influence EU decision-making (46%), followed by participation in political movements, parties or unions (42%).