What do we know about Children's Use of Online Technologies?

EU Kids Online - A Report on Data Availability and Research Gaps in Europe

Across Europe and beyond, children and young people are going online in ever greater numbers and for ever more activities. As published in the study 'Eurobarometer' 2006, 50 percent of children under 18 years old in Europe have used the Internet, rising from just 9 percent of those under six to one in three 6-7 year olds, one in two 8-9 year olds and more than four in five teenagers aged 12-17.
Cross-national differences are substantial, ranging from less than a third of children in Greece and Bulgaria to over two thirds in Estonia and Denmark. Widespread use of the Internet and online technologies, particularly among children and young people, affords many opportunities but also risks.

The EU Kids Online report asks what empirical research already exists, is ongoing, or is still needed. It does not present the findings of the research itself. Rather, the report identifies the available empirical research across Europe regarding children’s access to and use of the Internet and new online technologies. Thus, for those seeking new research, this report points out what there is and where to find it.

Read the full version of the report as a PDF document here.

Available on the website since October 08, 2007