A European Commission expert group on child safety online has held its final meeting as new EU survey figures put average daily screen time for young people at 4.5 hours on school days and 6.1 hours at weekends.
The Special Panel on child safety online met for a third and final time on Tuesday and will submit recommendations to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 13 July, the Commission informed.
New Eurobarometer survey results published alongside the meeting found that 14% of adolescents reported spending more than 10 hours a day on screens. Nearly one in three adolescents said social media left them feeling “stressed, sad or socially excluded.”
The data also showed 45% of adolescents said they tend to compare themselves to others when using social media. Around a quarter said they had come across problematic content online, including hate speech, which was cited by 25% of respondents.
The Commission said the final panel brought together young representatives, educators, parents’ representatives, legal specialists, computer scientists, medical professionals and child rights advocates. Discussions included “good practices” in the EU and partner countries and the role of parents and guardians in children’s wellbeing online.
Earlier social media use linked to more weekend screen time
Those who started using social media before the age of 10 reported 7.5 hours of daily screen time at the weekend, compared with 5.7 hours among those who started after age 14, the Eurobarometer survey found.
Von der Leyen said that when “one in three young people” say social media leaves them feeling stressed, sad or excluded, and when a quarter encounter problematic content — “from hate speech, to body pressure, to unexpected violence” — “we cannot ignore the impact on their mental health and wellbeing”.
The panel’s co-chairs, Dr Maria Melchior and Prof Dr Jörg M. Fegert, will present a report containing recommendations to von der Leyen on 13 July.
A separate Eurobarometer survey conducted between February and March 2026 found that 92% of Europeans consider strengthening children’s and young people’s protection online a top policy priority.
