Early access to technology leaves worrying marks on children’s mental and emotional health. More and more children are exposed to inappropriate content: one in three accesses pornography involuntarily and at a young age. 9% of minors have been pressured to send intimate photos. Furthermore, 5.7% have problematic screen use – excessive and poorly controlled connection – which interferes with daily life and is associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression and suicide risk. This was revealed in the Childhood, Adolescence and Digital Wellbeing report, published on Tuesday and prepared by UNICEF together with the Ministry for Digital Transformation, Red.es, the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Council of the Faculties of Computer Engineering.
Eight out of ten students receive their first cell phone at age 11, and by high school, nine out of ten already have one. Furthermore, almost all young people between 10 and 20 years old (92.5%) are present on some social network. For Lara Contreras, of UNICEF, the digital environment “must be addressed as a public health problem, because it entails many risks and even forms of digital violence”. The coordinator of the study and doctor in social psychology, Antonio Rial, adds: “Our children consume violence in many more places than we think.”
UNICEF highlights that this is the largest global survey on the impact of technology on children and adolescents in Spain. The report, prepared based on the responses of almost 100,000 participants – 93,000 students and 7,500 teachers from 446 educational centers across Spain – underlines that the objective is not to demonize technology, but to address it starting from the rights of children and adolescents. Its authors recognize its democratizing role, but insist that the digital environment is not yet safe for minors and should be.
Different uses: pornography, sexting and video games
The data speaks clearly. The first access to pornography occurs at an average age of 11.58 years and 29.6% of young people (primary school students were not asked about this) consume pornography. Even though only 10% view pornography regularly (or weekly or daily), early exposure is concerning. And one in five of those who have watched porn have some type of drinking problem. Boys see it much more than girls (42.3% versus 16.7%) and almost 40% of adolescents believe that it incites violence in sexual relations.
The use of social networks intensifies with age, even if it is present from the early stages: almost eight out of ten primary school pupils already have a profile on some network, and 43.6% are registered on three or more. WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are the most used platforms. According to the study, 20% spend more than five hours a day online on weekends.
The report also warns of other forms of digital violence. 9% of minors have been pressured to send intimate photos. More than half (58.4%) say they have talked online with strangers and 7.8% say they have received a sexual proposition from an adult. Girls report these situations more frequently and those who experience them experience greater emotional distress, lower life satisfaction and a higher risk of suicide.
The OnlyFans phenomenon is no stranger to them either. 75% of teenagers (primary school students were not asked about this topic) know about the platform, 8.6% have someone in their environment who has earned there and 2.1% admit to having had their own account.
Video games have established themselves as a major source of entertainment for children and teenagers. 53% of students play at least once a week and one in five does it all or almost every day. Seven in ten consume video games with violent content and one in four uses PEGI 18 rated titles, which contain extreme and explicit violence and are intended for adults. The use of these types of games is associated with higher rates of bullying and cyberbullying.
Among non-PEGI 18 video game players, 11.5% commit bullying, but among gamers this number rises to 18.4. The same increase occurs in cases of cyberbullying. Although the study does not establish a cause and effect relationship, a correlation is established between the two behaviors.
The prevalence of possible video game use disorder is 1.7%. Among students at ESO and beyond, 2.4% exhibit problematic behavior related to online gambling. Nearly two-thirds of these young people (63%) report having opened a loot box game.
The report highlights that video game use disorder is also related to a higher prevalence of problematic social media and pornography use, as well as more cases of parental violence and greater emotional distress. In other words, the minors who spend the most time playing are, in many cases, the same ones who report these types of problems.
A mental health problem
Intensive use of screens for long hours is considered problematic by the World Health Organization. It is associated with worse mental health, more depressive symptoms, and lower life satisfaction. The study considers it an “addiction without substance.”
While the study’s design does not allow causality to be established, the researchers caution that there is a clear relationship: Those with problematic technology use tend to show worse mental health, which reinforces the idea that it should be treated as a public health problem, the study highlights.
“Self-regulation doesn’t work,” warns Jesús Herrero, director of Red.es, who calls for a strengthening of institutional intervention: “We cannot leave all the burden on families while there is an industrial power concentrated on the weak points of the home, which earns with them and benefits from the care of our children.”
The example of parents
Continuous exposure to screens and lack of family boundaries aggravate the situation. “If we use cell phones during meals, we send a very clear message to our children,” explains Contreras. 23.7% of students say that parents use the phone during family meals, a habit that doubles risky behavior among minors. Almost half of them sleep with their cell phones in their rooms and many use them at dawn.
Álvaro, 13, a member of the UNICEF Spain advisory group, sums it up matter-of-factly: “No matter how much they tell you at school not to use it, if your parents allow it and don’t explain why you can’t, you listen to them, not a teacher.”
Parental involvement remains uneven. More than half (53.5%) talk to their children about the risks of the Internet and 46% place limits on connection time. However, only three in ten limit the content they post. “Leading by example and maintaining good digital hygiene at home is key,” reminds Contreras.
The need for regulation
For Herrero, the responsibility must be shared with institutions and technology companies. “Screen time is not the only problem, but the type of harmful content promoted by algorithms,” he explains. “It is essential not to let them slip away with a good corporate social responsibility campaign.” Along the same lines, Contreras insists on the need for responsible regulation: “Companies must own their impact on children’s rights.”
Óscar López, Minister of Digital Transformation, underlined that the question is not whether to intervene, but how to do it. López stressed that the Council of the European Union is addressing the issue to decide how to regulate and protect children in the digital environment. Furthermore, the bill on the protection of minors in digital environments, according to the minister, will force terminal manufacturers to incorporate a parental control system.
The Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, underlined in Tuesday’s presentation that “the digital environment is not a neutral landscape. It is a territory with invisible laws, with hierarchies and with owners”. Irene, 18, calls for a more humane digital environment: “Contents should be designed to take care of us, not to hook us. There are platforms created so that we can’t stop watching.” Álvaro completes the reflection: “We have friends who prefer to stay at home and play video games instead of going out, and not because they don’t want to, but because the games are designed so that you can’t stop.”
Both reject solutions based on prohibitionism. “Sometimes there is talk of banning cell phones up to the age of 18, but we would use them anyway, just secretly and unaccompanied,” explains Irene. The key is trust: “The important thing is to be able to talk to our parents or teachers. The dangerous thing is not just getting into a problem, but not knowing how to get out of it.”
Antonio Rial, researcher at the University of Santiago de Compostela, proposes moving towards “regulated self-regulation”: “Businesses must be invited to commit, but also to ensure that they comply. We are faced with a transcendental issue and countries must act with common criteria.”
