Final meeting of the Special Panel on child safety online as Eurobarometer confirms link between social media use and wellbeing

Today, the Special Panel on child safety online met for the third and final time. On 13 July, the Panel's Co-chairs will present recommendations to President Ursula von der Leyen on how to further strengthen the EU's trailblazing framework for the protection of minors online.

On the occasion of the final panel, a new Eurobarometer survey confirms the significant impact of excessive screentime and social media on the mental and physical health of young people. On average, young people across Europe spend 4.5 hours online during a school day and 6.1 hours a day at weekends. Most strikingly, 14% of adolescents report spending more than 10 hours a day on screens.

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Social media can connect and inspire. But when one in three young people say it leaves them feeling stressed, sad or excluded, we cannot ignore the impact on their mental health and wellbeing. And when a quarter of our young people are confronted with problematic content online – from hate speech, to body pressure, to unexpected violence – it is a clear signal that it is time for change.”

Final meeting of the Special Panel

The final meeting of the Special Panel gathered young representatives, educators, representatives of parents, legal specialists, computer scientists, medical professionals and child rights advocates. Discussions focused on lessons learned and good practices in the EU and in partner countries, as well as on crucial topics such as the empowerment of parents and guardians to ensure their children's wellbeing online.

This meeting builds upon insights from the two previous gatherings  of the Special Panel on child safety online, which examined the risks and benefits of digital services for children and the EU regulatory framework for protecting minors online, respectively.

Eurobarometer survey on social media use

The latest data from the new Eurobarometer survey published today shows that nearly one in three adolescents explicitly report feeling stressed, sad or socially excluded because of social media. Of the adolescents surveyed, 45% acknowledge that they tend to compare themselves to others when using social media, and around a quarter of adolescents have come across problematic content online, including hate speech (25%).

Although the Eurobarometer recognises the importance of social media for keeping in touch with others and as a source of information, the results highlight the strong link between the age at which young people start using social media and the overall amount of time they spend on screens. Those who started using social media before the age of 10 report 7.5 hours of daily screen time at the weekend, compared to 5.7 hours among those who started after age 14.

Another  Eurobarometer on the Digital Decade, conducted between February and March 2026, found that 92% of Europeans consider the need to further strengthen children and young people's protection online as a top policy priority.

Next steps

Special Panel Co-chairs Dr Maria Melchior and Prof Dr Jörg M. Fegert will present a report containing their recommendations to President von der Leyen on 13 July.

Background

The protection of minors online and supporting mental health are top priorities for the Commission. In this respect, the EU has a highly ambitious regulatory framework, including the Digital Services Act (DSA) and its Guidelines on the protection of minors, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, and the Better Internet for Kids Strategy and its network of EU co-funded Safer Internet Centres.

This is complemented by the EU Age Verification App, a privacy-preserving method allowing users to prove their age online. The app is feature-complete and ready for Member States to customise and roll out to citizens across the EU.

In addition, the Commission has adopted an EU Action Plan against Cyberbullying and is advancing rules to combat child sexual abuse online, including finalising measures to protect minors from exploitation.

For more information

Eurobarometer – Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people's mental health

Protecting and empowering young people online | Shaping Europe's digital future