Source
European Commission
Topic
Digital determinants
Tools & Frameworks
Report
Use it to…
benchmark national data on adolescents' screen and social media use and build the evidence case for action on the digital determinants of mental health.
Where to look in this resource
Read the report as a whole — it covers screen time, social media use and self-reported mental and physical health symptoms (Action 1), and the role of age of first social media use, online content and parents (Action 2). Country-level results allow national benchmarking.
Description
Conducted for the European Commission (DG SANTE) in spring 2026, the survey gathered responses from over 26,000 adolescents aged 13–18 and more than 12,700 parents across all 27 Member States. It provides comparable data on the prevalence, intensity and contexts of screen and social media use, and shows a consistent association between screen time and reported symptoms such as sleep problems, fatigue, concentration difficulties, stress and anxiety, with earlier social media use linked to heavier screen time. The findings describe statistical associations based on self-reported data rather than causal effects.
Brief description
EU-wide survey of adolescents and parents on screen and social media use and its links with mental and physical health.
Keywords
screen time, social media, adolescents, parents, sleep, anxiety, Eurobarometer, EU27
Resource Title
European Commission. Impact of excessive screen time and social media on young people's mental health. Flash Eurobarometer 579
