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EU Kids Online survey shows children need safer digital spaces by design
New EU Kids Online research shows children are facing growing online risks, reinforcing the need for digital services to be safe by design and by default.
New research from EU Kids Online shows that children across Europe are embracing digital technology while facing growing concerns about safety, privacy and their ability to stay in control of their digital lives.
The 2026 EU Kids Online survey gathered the views of 28,465 children aged 10–16 across 19 European countries. It found that smartphones are now central to children’s everyday lives, with 87% using a smartphone or mobile phone to go online every day. Around two-thirds have used AI tools in the past month, while children also report significant concerns about privacy, harmful content and the future of AI.
Most strikingly, only 48% of children say they feel safe online, down from 65% who reported always or often feeling safe online in 2020. The proportion of children reporting that they had been upset by something online in the previous month has also risen sharply, from 7% in 2020 to 23%.
Children are also encountering harmful content at significant levels. Three in ten report seeing hateful messages at least monthly, while 40% have encountered gory or violent images and 37% content about ways of physically harming or hurting oneself.
The findings reinforce the need for digital services to be made safe by design and by default, rather than relying on children and parents to manage risks created by platforms. This means stronger privacy protections, limits on addictive and harmful design, effective oversight of recommender systems and meaningful safeguards across the services children use – from social media and gaming to AI.
Professor Sonia Livingstone, Director of Digital Futures for Children, a collaboration between the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and 5Rights Foundation, 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.
“Since European children gain social and information benefits from going online, it is vital to more effectively improve children’s safety online.”
The findings come as Europe moves towards new rules through the proposed EU KIDS Act. 5Rights has long called for technology companies to carry the responsibility for making their services safe for children, including through pre-certification, age-appropriate design and robust enforcement – rather than placing the burden on children and parents.
The EU Kids Online findings provide further evidence that children need digital services that are designed around their rights and safety from the outset.
