Almost all eleven-year-old students already have social media accounts

MadridA pioneering study in Spain has just shed light on how children and teenagers use mobile phones and the digital environment. One of the findings highlighting the excessive and premature use of mobile phones by teenagers is that eight out of ten fifth-grade students say they already use social media—and among young people between 10 and 20 years old, this figure is almost universal (92.5%). The study, published this Tuesday and conducted by UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry for Digital Transformation, Red.es, the University of Santiago de Compostela, and the Council of Computer Engineering, surveyed 100,000 young people across Spain to understand the extent to which an entire generation uses screens and the internet. The large-scale survey reveals that eight out of ten students get their first mobile phone at age 11, and that nine out of ten secondary school students own a mobile phone.

"Access to connected screens begins at a very young age, and the use of social networks and video platforms becomes established even before adolescence. The mobile phone, once considered a device for adults, is now a common tool in school, family, and children's leisure environments." A significant percentage of children already have a device for their own use, a figure that increases to 76% by age 12. Half of them take their phones to school, sleep with them, and use them when they wake up in the middle of the night.

But the greater the access to screens and the internet, the greater the exposure to some of the associated risks, such as excessive screen time or cyberbullying. In this regard, the report highlights that pornography consumption begins at age 11.5 and that almost 6% of minors engage in problematic screen use (excessive and uncontrolled internet access), which interferes with the child's daily life and can lead to symptoms of anxiety or depression. Furthermore, 9% of minors report having been pressured to send erotic or sexual photos or videos, a figure that jumps to 12.5% ​​for girls and 5.3% for boys. "Our children are exposed to violence in far more places than we realize," concluded Dr. Antonio Rial, coordinator of the study.

A jab at Big Tech

"We cannot simply accept that they [children and young people] are digital natives and stand idly by. [...] We must ensure that they grow up healthy and protected," argued Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday during the presentation of the report. In this regard, Sánchez appealed to the role of the government, schools, and families in preventing the digital environment from becoming a "jungle" for young people, but above all, to the role of large technology companies. In fact, the head of the central government criticized them for a certain passivity. "We all have a role to play, including large technology corporations, and we must demand that they do their part. When we talk to them, it's all talk and no action, and they say they are aware of the issue, but then we don't see it. We demand that they be firm, courageous, and not look the other way. In business, there is a violation of human rights," Sánchez asserted. The study reveals that 10.2% of children and young people in Spain under the age of 16 have suffered cyberbullying at some point. The Spanish Prime Minister has also urged political parties and the Congress of Deputies to be "responsible" and support the law protecting minors in digital environments, which, among other things, includes the requirement that all new digital devices manufactured include parental controls by default in order to limit inappropriate content. But beyond these problems, the study also notes a decrease in cyberbullying compared to 2021, when a similar report was published. "It suggests a growing awareness in society," the report's authors indicate. In fact, more than half of the teenagers have stated that they "are beginning to feel a need to disconnect from the digital environment."