The average age at which children receive their first mobile phone is 11.4. From secondary school onward, the presence of these devices increases further: 93.8% of students in the first year of compulsory secondary education have their own phone, rising to 97.8% in the second year. In addition, 74.1% of students in Aragon are on at least one social network, while 37.1% use three or more.
PROBLEMATIC SOCIAL MEDIA USE INCREASES WITH AGE
The study warns that this early exposure to the digital environment can also affect children’s well-being. Some 4.5% of students in Aragon may have problematic social media use, a percentage that is higher among girls, at 6%, than among boys, at 2.7%.
The figure also increases with age, reaching 9.7% in compulsory secondary education. The report also analyzes pornography consumption and estimates that 8.6% of students show a problematic consumption pattern, although the percentage rises to 21.1% when only adolescents who consume this content are taken into account.
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS ALSO INCREASES
Mental health is another aspect covered by the report. Some 13.5% of the students surveyed show clear symptoms of emotional distress, a proportion that rises to 17.8% among girls and 24.2% among vocational education students.
The risk of suicide stands at 6.9%, with differences also found by gender: it affects 9.3% of girls and 3.9% of boys. The study’s authors point out that the risks associated with the digital environment must be addressed through areas including health, education, coexistence and children’s rights.
ONE IN TEN HAS EXPERIENCED CYBERBULLYING
Cyberbullying is another problem identified. Some 1.5% of students say they are currently experiencing it, while 9.4% say they have experienced it at some point in their lives.
The report also focuses on families. Some 54.7% of parents regularly talk to their children about the risks of the internet, and 49% set rules on the time spent on mobile phones, the internet or social media. However, only one in three limits the content their children post.
UNICEF CALLS FOR GREATER OVERSIGHT OF PLATFORMS
UNICEF Spain, Red.es, the University of Santiago de Compostela and the General Council of Computer Engineering Associations are calling for a joint strategy to improve the digital well-being of children and adolescents. Their proposals include strengthening digital education, treating digital violence in the same way as physical violence in protection protocols, and increasing technology companies’ responsibility.
Along these lines, UNICEF Spain has launched the "Algoritmo Seguro Ya" campaign, calling on platforms to implement more transparent algorithms, age-verification systems and designs that reduce addictive behaviors and children’s exposure to content harmful to their physical or mental health.
