Better Internet for Kids

The third edition of the ‘BEE SECURE Radar’ report on current trends in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by young people in Luxembourg has been published. The report was first presented during the global Safer Internet Day 2024, under the motto ‘Together for a better internet’. 

With the purpose of following the current developments of ICT use and its associated risks, the report documents the observations and results from a variety of surveys which BEE SECURE carried out as part of its activities during the school year of 2022/2023. It includes feedback from 286 children and teenagers aged 12 to 30 (SNJ online survey), 500 parents with children aged 3 to 16 (ILRES online survey) and from teaching and educational staff (123 participants) on various issues related to the safe and responsible use of digital media.

The BEE SECURE Radar provides indications on the following trends:

First contact with the digital world at an early age

According to parents, contact with the digital world starts early: for 35 per cent of children, their first contact with internet-enabled devices and thus with the digital world takes place before the age of four. This percentage rises to 81 per cent by the age of ten.
A child’s first interaction with a screen is mainly linked to looking at photos (38 per cent) and watching videos and films (27 per cent).

Favourite social media

According to a survey of 13,325 students aged 8 to 18, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Instagram are the most popular apps for sharing photos or videos. The trends remain nearly unchanged compared to the previous year: 

• Primary school: WhatsApp (52 per cent), Snapchat (45 per cent) and TikTok (28 per cent). 
• Secondary school: Snapchat (77 per cent), WhatsApp (65 per cent) and Instagram (55 per cent).

Children and teenagers favour screen-free activities

Children and teenagers were asked about their favourite leisure activities. The results show that sport (46 per cent), meeting friends or family (11 per cent) and video/computer games (9 per cent) are the most common responses among 12 to 16-year-olds.

Screen time, cyberbullying and disinformation at the top of the agenda

Adults, particularly parents, teachers and young adults aged 17 to 30, express their apprehension mostly in regards to screen time, disinformation, age-inappropriate content, data protection, influencers, cyberbullying and cybercrime.

Among 12 to 16-year-olds, cyberbullying and sexual content are the biggest areas of concern. This year, for the first time, screen time has also been ranked among the top five most important risk topics in this age group.

When asked how they would rate their own smartphone use, around half of the surveyed parents admitted to using their smartphone too often. Among teenagers, almost half of the 12 to 16-year-olds (45 per cent) stated that they use their smartphone too often.

Around a fifth of the 12 to 16-year-olds revealed that they have already been a victim of cyberbullying. 30 per cent of the 12 to 16-year-olds affected were victims of cyberbullying between June 2022 and June 2023, which corresponds to 6 per cent of all respondents.

Young people are exposed to pornographic content and messages with intimate content

12 to 16-year-olds believe that almost a third (31 per cent) of their peers are at least ‘sometimes’ exposed to pornographic content. Almost a third (32 per cent) of 12 to 16-year-olds report that their peers sometimes send intimate photos or videos of themselves to other people.

Sextortion and cyber security, the most common topics on the BEE SECURE helpline

Across the 101 calls directly linked to children and teenagers, sextortion was the most common topic raised on the BEE SECURE helpline, both by teenagers themselves (41 per cent) as well as by adults (22 per cent). Cybercrime (including fraud, hacking and phishing) was the second most common issue raised by teenagers.

The results show that there is room for improvement when it comes to effectively implementing measures to protect devices and personal data from these types of threats. As part of the ‘Keep your space safe’ campaign, BEE SECURE offers all interested parties practical tips at bee-secure.lu/kyss.

Together for a better internet

The report concludes that it is important to know the trends related to the use of ICT by children and young people. This knowledge allows for a more comprehensive assessment and understanding of the current reality in Luxembourg. For this reason, the surveys and analyses will further be expanded and refined in the future.

In line with the motto of the Safer Internet Day, ‘Together for a better Internet’, this report is intended to inform all stakeholders who are working together to promote the safer use of the Internet by children and teenagers and to help them organise their actions in a targeted manner. Everyone can play a part in helping children find their way in life and in the (digital) world of today and tomorrow.

BEE SECURE would like to thank all those who took part in the surveys and/or contributed to trend monitoring as part of other activities. For Radar 2024, special thanks also go to the Zentrum fir exzessiivt Verhalen a Verhalenssucht (ZEV – a centre for excessive behaviour and addiction in Luxembourg), which, as in the previous year, analysed specific questions relating to problematic internet use.

Download the report here.

Find more information about the work of the Luxembourg Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline, and youth participation services, or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.