Unique data from Poland shows how children really use the internet

Consequently, it reveals how children and adolescents actually engage with global digital platforms, rather than what they report doing online.

Although the data comes from Poland, it relates to digital services used across Europe. The report is one of the few empirical sources in Europe based on the passive measurement of children’s behaviour in the digital environment. This enables an assessment of their actual exposure to content and platform mechanisms, as well as the effectiveness of existing age restrictions.

The publication comes at a time of intense debate across Europe on the enforcement of child online protection rules, including under the Digital Services Act (DSA), as well as on age-verification requirements, and platforms’ accountability for the design of their services.

Key findings

• More than 1.2 million children aged 7–14 were exposed to alcohol advertising on the three most popular social media apps within a single month;
• 55% of children under the age of 13 regularly use social media, despite existing age restrictions;
• 43% of children use the most popular AI chatbot;
• Pornography websites are among the most frequently visited sites by children using mobile devices;
• Children aged 7–14 spend an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes online per day.

Why does this report stand out from most research on children and the internet?

The Internet of Children report is based on data from Mediapanel – Poland’s internet measurement standard, run by Gemius on behalf of Polskie Badania Internetu (PBI) – and from the Gemius Hardware Panel.

Unlike survey-based research, it analyses actual online activity recorded on digital devices, rather than self-reported data. This makes it possible to observe genuine patterns in the use of the internet, applications, social media and artificial intelligence tools.

Significance for Europe

Although the report was produced in Poland, it describes how the same global digital platforms used by children across Europe function. Its findings, therefore, have wider application and could serve as valuable evidence for regulators, public institutions, and organisations working to protect children in the digital environment.

The report’s data provides an empirical basis for evaluating the effectiveness of online child protection measures, such as age verification and exposure to inappropriate content, as well as the influence of platform design on user behaviour.

The views of experts

Magdalena Bigaj, President of the Institute for Digital Citizenship Foundation “The extent to which children are exposed to harmful content demonstrates that Europe requires more effective mechanisms to safeguard its youngest internet users, including a genuine risk classification system for digital services. The data in this report provides regulators with concrete evidence of the shortcomings of the current protection system.”

Konrad Ciesiołkiewicz, Deputy Chair of the State Commission for Counteracting Sexual Abuse of Minors Below 15 Years of Age
“Protecting children in the digital environment today requires systemic action by states and genuine accountability on the part of online platforms. The report shows the scale of phenomena that can no longer be met with indifference.”

Aleksandra Załęska, Gemius: Children aged 7–14 spend an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes online per day – more than an hour longer than the average internet user. Around half of this time is spent on TikTok and YouTube, which shows how large a share of their daily lives is taken up by social media and video platforms. Such intensive internet use raises challenges related to children’s safety, well-being, and healthy development. It is therefore essential to create conditions that allow the youngest users to go online safely, in a way that supports their development and is age-appropriate.”

Jadwiga Przewłocka, Gemius: Nowadays, children’s internet use is dominated by smartphone apps, particularly social media apps. These apps capture children’s attention multiple times a day and occupy much of their afternoons and evenings. This is true even for the youngest children, who are officially not permitted to use social media and messaging platforms. However, the data from the Internet of Children report is clear: 55% of children aged 7–12 regularly use these apps. The absence of any significant year-on-year decline in this figure highlights the urgent need for government action, both in terms of systemic technology regulation and building public awareness.

Krzysztof Mikulski, Polskie Badania Internetu: The Internet of Children report reveals the extent to which smartphones and the internet are embedded in the daily lives of young children. Of particular concern is the ease with which children end up on pornographic websites and social media platforms that are not intended for them. They remain on these sites for extended periods due to the attention-grabbing design features employed by these platforms. What is needed is protection for Polish families, regulation of access to platforms, and enforcement of safety standards for their users.

About the project

The Internet of Children project is an initiative that has been monitoring the presence of children and adolescents since 2025. The project is a joint venture of the Institute for Digital Citizenship Foundation, Gemius, Polskie Badania Internetu and the State Commission for Counteracting Sexual Abuse of Minors Below 15 Years of Age.

All reports developed to date are available online at internetdzieci.pl.

The project’s aim is to provide reliable data supporting the work of regulators, public institutions, and civil society organisations in strengthening the protection of children in the digital environment – from violence, abuse, and commercial exploitation.

Photo: Annie Spratt, unsplash.com