Parents in Belgium are third from the bottom across the EU when it comes to talking to their kids about negative social media experiences, according to a new poll from the European Commission. Reports suggest a lack of confidence and understanding hold them back.
While 63% of parents EU-wide report speaking to their children (age 13 to 18) about their negative experiences online, among Belgian parents, the figure falls to 53% – one of the lowest across the bloc.
Almost 8 in 10 Croatian parents report speaking to their children about bad online experiences.
The results, part of a special Eurobarometer survey for the European Commission, also show that Belgian parents are among the least likely to speak to their children to help protect their mental health when using social media.
Just 38% of parents in Belgium report doing this. Ireland (30%) and Cyprus (36%) are the only other countries to score lower.
Social media usage among young people
The Eurobarometer survey found that the earlier a child is given access to social media has a direct impact on how long on average they spend online. Children who started using social media before the age of 10 reported an average of 7.5 hours of weekend screen time, compared to 5.7 hours for those who started using social media after 14.
While almost half (48%) of children in the Eurobarometer survey report social media having a positive impact on their mental wellbeing, one in three report feeling stressed, sad or socially excluded because of social media.
Over a third also report seeing AI-generated content that was at first hard to recognise, as well as false or misleading information.
Both parents and children agree in the survey that better enforcement of social media platform rules are important for protecting mental wellbeing online. However, while 42% of children also want better mental health support, only 26% of parents see this as a solution. Meanwhile both parents (54%) and children (45%) support additional age limits or restrictions on social media.
In Belgium, restrictions on the use of social media by young people is a live debate, with a Superior Health Council report commissioned by Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) advocating restricting access, but with a warning that "isolated measures will not suffice, only a coordinated combination of educational, preventative, regulatory, and support actions can reduce risks while preserving the potential benefits of digital technologies for young people."
Parents feel powerless
"When it comes to screen use, surveys show that parents often struggle with their own responsibilities," according to Sophie Dings, Sustainability Coordinator at DNS Belgium. "Not every adult feels confident in this area which means they don't have ready answers when children come to them with questions."
Parental lack of confidence in speaking to their children about online and social media use was picked up in a 2025 Belgian survey by iVOX commissioned by Orange Belgium.
Their research showed that eight out of 10 Belgian parents do not know where to get advice when thinking about their child's first smartphone. These parents report needing advice on helping their child in dealing with social media.
The iVOX survey showed that when parents do try to speak with their children about online and social media use, those discussions often fail because of a "mutual lack of understanding", with the majority of parents (65%) reporting they experience obstacles.
