Early access to technology leaves worrying marks on the mental and emotional health of minors. More and more children are exposed to inappropriate content: one in three children access pornography forcibly and at a very young age. 9% of minors were pressured to send intimate photos. Additionally, 5.7% experience problematic screen use — excessive, poorly controlled contact — that interferes with their daily lives and is associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicide risk. This was revealed by the report on Childhood, Adolescence and Digital Well-Being, published on Tuesday and prepared by UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Red.es, the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Council of Faculties of Computer Engineering.
Eight out of ten students get their first mobile phone by age 11, and by high school, nine out of ten already have a mobile phone. Moreover, almost all young people between the ages of 10 and 20 (92.5%) are on some social network. Lara Contreras, from UNICEF, believes that the digital environment “must be treated as a public health issue, because it carries many risks and even forms of digital violence.” Study coordinator and doctor of social psychology, Antonio Real, adds: “Our children consume violence in many more places than we think.”
UNICEF confirms that this is the largest investigation worldwide into the impact of technology on children and adolescents in Spain. The report, prepared from responses from nearly 100,000 participants – 93,000 students and 7,500 teachers from 446 educational centers across Spain – stresses that the aim is not to demonize technology, but to address it within the rights of children and adolescents. Its authors recognize the democratizing role it plays, but insist that the digital environment is still, and should be, unsafe for minors.
Various uses: pornography, Sexting And video games
The data is clear. First access to pornography occurs at an average age of 11.58 years, and 29.6% of youth (elementary students were not asked about this) consume pornography. Although only 10% view pornography regularly (or weekly or daily), early exposure is a concern. And one in five who have ever watched pornography have some problem with consumption. Boys see this much more than girls (42.3% vs. 16.7%), and nearly 40% of teens believe it incites violence in sexual relationships.
The use of social networks intensifies with age, although it has been present since the early stages: nearly eight out of ten primary school students already have a profile on some network, and 43.6% are registered on three or more. WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are some of the most widely used platforms. According to the study, 20% spend more than five hours a day on networks during the weekend.
The report also warns of other forms of digital violence. 9% of minors were pressured to send intimate photos. More than half (58.4%) claim to have chatted online with strangers and 7.8% have received a sexual advance 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 teens (elementary students were not asked about this topic) knew about the platform, 8.6% had someone in their environment who earned money there, and 2.1% admitted to having their own account.
Video games are becoming one of the main sources of entertainment for children and teenagers. 53% of students play at least once a week, and one in five do so every day or almost every day. Seven in ten consume video games with violent content, and one in four use titles rated under PEGI 18, which contain extreme and explicit violence and are intended for adults. Use of these types of games is linked to higher rates of bullying and cyberbullying.
Among non-PEGI 18 video game players, 11.5% commit bullying, but among gamers that number rises to 18.4. The same rise is occurring in cases of cyberbullying. Although the study did not prove a cause and effect relationship, a relationship between the two behaviors was established.
The prevalence of video game use disorder is 1.7%. Among ESO students and above, 2.4% exhibit problematic behaviors associated with online gambling. Nearly two-thirds of these youth (63%) reported that they had opened a loot box game.
The report notes that video game use disorder is also associated with higher social media exposure and pornography consumption, as well as more instances of parent-child violence and increased emotional distress. In other words, the minors who spend more time gaming are, in many cases, the same people who report these types of problems.
A mental health problem
Extensive screen use for long hours is considered problematic by the World Health Organization. It is associated with poor mental health, increased symptoms of depression, and decreased life satisfaction. The study considers it “addiction without substance.”
Although the study design does not allow for a causal relationship to be determined, the researchers caution that there is a clear relationship: the study indicates that those who have problematic use of technology tend to show worse mental health, which reinforces the idea that it should be treated as a public health problem.
“Self-regulation is not working,” warns Jesús Herrero, director of Red.es, which calls for stronger institutional intervention. “We cannot leave all the burden on families while there is an industrial power that focuses on the vulnerabilities in the home, which makes money from it and benefits from taking care of our children.”
Parental role model
Constant exposure to screens and lack of family boundaries exacerbate the situation. “If we use our cell phones during meals, we are sending a very clear message to our children,” Contreras says. 23.7% of students claim that their parents use the phone at family meals, a habit that increases risky behavior among minors. Nearly half of them sleep with their mobile phones in the room and many use them at dawn.
Alvaro, 13, who belongs to the UNICEF Advisory Group in Spain, sums it up naturally: “No matter how much they tell you at school not to use it, if your parents allow it and don’t explain to you why you can’t, you listen to them, not the teacher.”
Parental involvement remains uneven. More than half (53.5%) talk to their children about the dangers of the Internet, and 46% set limits on communication time. However, only three in ten restrict the content they post. “Leading by example and maintaining good digital hygiene at home is key,” Contreras recalls.
The need for organization
For Herero, the responsibility must be shared with institutions and technology companies. “Screen time isn’t the only problem, it’s the type of harmful content that algorithms promote,” he explains. “It is essential not to let them escape with a good CSR campaign.” In the same vein, Contreras insists on the need for regulation with accountability: “Companies must own up to their impact on children’s rights.”
Oscar Lopez, Minister of Digital Transformation, stressed that the question is not whether we should intervene, but how to do it. Lopez stressed that the Council of the European Union is addressing the issue to decide how to regulate and protect children in the digital environment. In addition, the draft law on the protection of minors in digital environments, according to the minister, will force terminal manufacturers to integrate a parental control system.
“The digital environment is not a neutral landscape. It is a territory with invisible rules, with hierarchies and with owners,” Minister of Youth and Children, Sera Rigo, highlighted in her presentation on Tuesday. Erin, 18, calls for a more humane digital environment: “Content should be designed to nurture us, not to attract us. There are platforms created so you can’t stop searching.” “We have friends who would rather stay home playing video games than go out, not because they don’t want to, but because the games are designed so you can’t stop,” Alvaro continues.
Both of them reject solutions based on the ban. “Sometimes there is talk about banning mobile phones until the age of 18, but we use them the same way, only secretly and without accompaniment,” explains Irene. The key is confidence: “The important thing is to be able to talk to our parents or teachers. The dangerous thing is not only getting into trouble, but not knowing how to get out of it.”
Antonio Real, a researcher at the University of Santiago de Compostela, suggests a move towards “organised self-regulation”: “Companies must be called upon to comply, but also guaranteed to comply. We are facing a transcendent issue and countries must operate according to common standards.”
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