The research Apenstaartjaren examines media use and media literacy in primary and secondary education in Flanders (Belgium). The study combines a large-scale survey of more than 6,000 children (years 1-4 of primary school), pre-teens (years 5-6 of primary school), and young people (secondary education) with qualitative focus groups.
About the study
Apenstaartjaren 2026 is an initiative of Mediaraven, Mediawijs, the imec-mict-UGent research group, and Link in de Kabel, in collaboration with partners such as De Ambrassade, Child Focus, and DNS Belgium.
What are the key findings from the study?
Sharing location provides a sense of safety
One in four children in the first and second stages of primary education say their parents can (sometimes) track their location, for example through smartphone apps, an AirTag, or a smartwatch. Among pre-teens and young people, this figure rises to nearly two in three, who report that their parents can track their location through smartphone applications.
Parents mainly do this through WhatsApp, dedicated apps such as Life360, built-in smartphone features such as Find My, and Snap Map. According to children, pre-teens, and young people, parents primarily check their location when they are late getting home or don’t respond to messages. Safety appears to be the main motivation.
First real smartphone at the age of 11
Today, 23 per cent of children and 17 per cent of pre-teens use a basic mobile phone, meaning a device that can only make calls or send text messages. In many cases, such a phone serves as an intermediate device before they receive their first smartphone, which on average appears in the sixth grade of primary school (around the age of 11).
One in ten young people also uses a basic mobile phone instead of a smartphone. At older ages, this is often a conscious choice aimed at reducing distractions.
Stricter rules during the “digital puberty” years
While children in the second stage of primary education use their mobile phones or smartphones more than they did in 2024, the opposite trend is seen among pre-teens in the final stage of primary education and students in the first stage of secondary education.
In addition to school smartphone policies, this may be linked to the fact that 92 per cent of pre-teens have rules at home regarding media use, a higher proportion than among younger children and older adolescents. Parents appear to set clearer boundaries once “digital puberty” begins and pre-teens take their first steps on social media.
Encouragingly, children, pre-teens, and young people generally understand and accept the rules and boundaries set by their parents.
Snapchat remains the leading platform for young people
Snapchat remains extremely popular among pre-teens and young people. Features such as Snap Map for location sharing and Snapchat AI are particularly appealing. After ChatGPT, Snapchat AI is the most frequently used AI tool on a weekly basis among pre-teens and young people.
Precisely because Snapchat remains such a youth-focused platform, researchers also point to risks such as contact with strangers, grooming, and deepnudes. At the same time, they emphasise that platforms themselves still bear significant responsibility for improving the protection of young users.
Despite growing public debate and stricter regulations, a large group of pre-teens under the age of 13 remains active on social media. The most popular platforms in this age group are WhatsApp (46 per cent), Snapchat (39 per cent), TikTok (32 per cent) and Instagram (11 per cent). This is notable because many platforms, according to their own terms and conditions, don’t allow accounts for children under 13 and are not permitted to collect their personal data without parental consent.
The full report is available for download here.
Find more information about the work of the Belgian Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness-raising, helpline, hotline, and youth participation services, or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
The research Apenstaartjaren examines media use and media literacy in primary and secondary education in Flanders (Belgium). The study combines a large-scale survey of more than 6,000 children (years 1-4 of primary school), pre-teens (years 5-6 of primary school), and young people (secondary education) with qualitative focus groups.
About the study
Apenstaartjaren 2026 is an initiative of Mediaraven, Mediawijs, the imec-mict-UGent research group, and Link in de Kabel, in collaboration with partners such as De Ambrassade, Child Focus, and DNS Belgium.
What are the key findings from the study?
Sharing location provides a sense of safety
One in four children in the first and second stages of primary education say their parents can (sometimes) track their location, for example through smartphone apps, an AirTag, or a smartwatch. Among pre-teens and young people, this figure rises to nearly two in three, who report that their parents can track their location through smartphone applications.
Parents mainly do this through WhatsApp, dedicated apps such as Life360, built-in smartphone features such as Find My, and Snap Map. According to children, pre-teens, and young people, parents primarily check their location when they are late getting home or don’t respond to messages. Safety appears to be the main motivation.
First real smartphone at the age of 11
Today, 23 per cent of children and 17 per cent of pre-teens use a basic mobile phone, meaning a device that can only make calls or send text messages. In many cases, such a phone serves as an intermediate device before they receive their first smartphone, which on average appears in the sixth grade of primary school (around the age of 11).
One in ten young people also uses a basic mobile phone instead of a smartphone. At older ages, this is often a conscious choice aimed at reducing distractions.
Stricter rules during the “digital puberty” years
While children in the second stage of primary education use their mobile phones or smartphones more than they did in 2024, the opposite trend is seen among pre-teens in the final stage of primary education and students in the first stage of secondary education.
In addition to school smartphone policies, this may be linked to the fact that 92 per cent of pre-teens have rules at home regarding media use, a higher proportion than among younger children and older adolescents. Parents appear to set clearer boundaries once “digital puberty” begins and pre-teens take their first steps on social media.
Encouragingly, children, pre-teens, and young people generally understand and accept the rules and boundaries set by their parents.
Snapchat remains the leading platform for young people
Snapchat remains extremely popular among pre-teens and young people. Features such as Snap Map for location sharing and Snapchat AI are particularly appealing. After ChatGPT, Snapchat AI is the most frequently used AI tool on a weekly basis among pre-teens and young people.
Precisely because Snapchat remains such a youth-focused platform, researchers also point to risks such as contact with strangers, grooming, and deepnudes. At the same time, they emphasise that platforms themselves still bear significant responsibility for improving the protection of young users.
Despite growing public debate and stricter regulations, a large group of pre-teens under the age of 13 remains active on social media. The most popular platforms in this age group are WhatsApp (46 per cent), Snapchat (39 per cent), TikTok (32 per cent) and Instagram (11 per cent). This is notable because many platforms, according to their own terms and conditions, don’t allow accounts for children under 13 and are not permitted to collect their personal data without parental consent.
The full report is available for download here.
Find more information about the work of the Belgian Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness-raising, helpline, hotline, and youth participation services, or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
- Snapchat social media location online safety
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