Europeans are overwhelmingly worried about the risks children face on social media. This is one of the highlight findings of a new EU survey about the EU’s challenges and priorities. The other main areas of concern included democratic resilience, defence and the energy transition.
Within the context of child safety online, cyberbullying and harassment top the list of concerns, worrying 71% of respondents, closely followed by fears of online grooming and sexual exploitation (70%). A large majority of Europeans want the EU to do more to protect children from these and other risks online. Nearly two thirds of respondents want EU rules restricting children’s access to social media by age.
The survey coincides with the publication of the report by the special panel on child safety online. President von der Leyen set up the special panel of experts to develop a strong and practical European approach to keep children safe online. From March to June 2026, the panel met three times to explore both the opportunities and the risks of children spending time online.
The special panel report highlights the critical challenges children face online and provides recommendations and inspiration on better protecting and empowering them, as well as on the age-appropriate use of social media and other digital services. The recommendations are intended to inform future actions to be proposed by the European Commission and at national level to reinforce child safety online. The Commission intends to present its proposals based on the report after the summer.
For more information
Special panel on child safety online
Statement by President von der Leyen on child safety online
