In today's digital world, where 98% of 15-year-olds in OECD countries have a smartphone, children enjoy unprecedented opportunities for learning, entertainment, and connecting with peers. However, early and excessive exposure to an online environment also creates risks. According to a new OECD report, a comprehensive approach to address children's digital lives must encompass evidence-based public policies, safety features in digital services, and clear guidance and support to educators and caregivers in helping children manage their engagement with digital technologies.
How's Life for Children in the Digital Age? provides an overview of the current state of children's digital lives across OECD countries. It presents internationally comparable indicators on digital use and experiences and makes recommendations to ensure that children are both protected and empowered to use digital media in a beneficial way while managing potential risks.
Informed by the most recent international data available[1] the report includes 45 internationally comparable indicators related to children's access and use of digital technologies, online social interactions, negative experiences, and practices that increase or reduce risk. For example, while 51% of 15-year-old students in OECD countries report being able to easily adjust digital settings to protect their privacy, 27.6% report sharing made-up information on social networks and 17% report feeling nervous or anxious without their digital devices. The indicators covered in the Report refer to specific, measurable behaviours, providing a new practical resource to guide policy decisions related to children's well-being.
The data also shows that cyberbullying is on the rise across all OECD countries and a significant minority of children report problematic social media use. In addition, extended periods of time spent online are found to crowd out other valuable and enriching activities such as reading, physical exercise, or in-person socialising with friends, which are widely recognised as essential for children's cognitive and socio-emotional development.
"It is key for all stakeholders to work together to protect and support children as they navigate the digital world, also considering their offline situation as risks to children's well-being in both worlds often reinforce one another," OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. "Strengthening regulation and other policy tools, enhancing children's digital literacy and skills, providing guidance for parents and caregivers, expanding the evidence base on children's digital activities and their impacts and incorporating children's perspectives into policy design can all help to improve safety, well-being and opportunities in the online world."
Encouragingly, the collection of data on children's activities and engagement in digital spaces is increasing in many countries. However, the indicators also reveal important gaps. For example, many countries still lack comprehensive data on the amount of time children spend on screens and digital activities, the nature of those activities, and the impacts of screen exposure and use on children of all ages. Addressing these gaps would enhance countries' monitoring capacities, understanding, and ability to mitigate the risks to children's well-being. The report provides guidance on how existing data sources could be leveraged to address data gaps and highlights the importance of capturing the perspectives of stakeholders including parents, children, educators, digital service providers, health professionals and experts to inform the development of effective policies and supports.
Journalists are invited to contact Johanna Gleeson in the OECD Media Office
