A new report published recently, finds rising digital stress, gaps in support, and emerging risks are outpacing classroom practice and safeguards and calls for practical collaboration between governments, educators, and technology platforms.
“Click, Scroll, Connect and Balance” highlights five interconnected issues that the report’s authors believe are collectively undermining children’s digital wellbeing:
- Digital stress and mental health impacts: In Romania, 50% of children reported being called offensive names online, and 26% had trouble sleeping after an online incident. Across OECD countries, 17% of 15-year-olds feel anxious without their devices, and 10% report problematic social media use – with higher rates (14%) among children from migrant backgrounds
- Gaps in education systems: Many children lack understanding of how their data is used, and teachers report insufficient training to address digital risks. Only 51% of 15-year-olds can easily change privacy settings, and 28% do not compare sources when searching online
- Disproportionate risks for marginalised groups: LGBTQIA+ youth, children with disabilities, and those from low-income or rural backgrounds face compounded risks online, including identity-based harassment, exclusion, and misinformation. These groups are often overlooked in national strategies.
- Emerging harms outpacing regulation: AI-generated child sexual abuse material is growing rapidly, with over 20,000 images found on a single dark web forum in one month. Deepfake incidents targeting children have increased by 550% since 2019
- Fragmented regulatory implementation: Despite strong EU-level frameworks like the GDPR and DSA, enforcement varies widely. For example, exposure to hate messages ranges from 4% of 12-16-year-olds in Germany to 48% in Poland. In Spain, 44% of children report rarely encountering kindness online.
One of the priority actions identified in the report, was the need to equip educators with the tools they need to teach digital safety, resilience, and empathy. In addition, it recommended the adoption of whole-school approaches that integrate wellbeing into school cultures, policies, and daily routines, something Vodafone Foundation does through the Skills Upload Jr (SUJ) the Europe-wide digital skills initiative for children aged 9 to 16.
Overall, the report recommended that children’s digital wellbeing could be improved by:
- Embedding digital wellbeing into education
- Increasing child participation
- Promoting equity and Inclusion
- Strengthening evidence and evaluation
- Aligning national policy and governance
Commissioned by the two global charities as part of an international partnership launched earlier this year, the study reviewed an existing body of knowledge on children’s digital wellbeing, interviewed leading experts and considered secondary data from child-focused research studies. When combined, this provided a holistic understanding of the state of digital wellbeing for children across Europe today.
Speaking about the report, Moazzam Malik, CEO at Save the Children UK said: “No matter their background, every child deserves the access, skills and confidence to navigate and thrive online. As technology continues to advance, digital life is increasingly becoming real life. We must embed wellbeing into all the places children spend their time. We need to move beyond one-off fixes towards a joined up regulatory system which prioritises safety and inclusion.”
Lisa Felton, Director, Vodafone Foundation added: “Digital wellbeing is a shared responsibility, shaped by the public and private sectors, and by the environments where children live, learn and connect. Every child deserves the skills, support and safeguards to thrive online, no matter where they live. That’s why Vodafone Foundation is committed to expanding our Skills Upload Junior (SUJ) programme, to reaching more children and young people, and to providing the skills needed to embed digital wellbeing into classrooms, communities and homes.”
Vodafone Foundation’s SUJ programme has an existing presence in 9 counties and has empowered over 10 million children in 5 years. Now, with Save the Children’s help, Vodafone Foundation will be enhancing SUJ by:
- Creating new modules targeting digital wellbeing, resilience, and empathy, aligned with Save the Children’s SMILE framework (Security, Management, Identity, Literacy, Empathy),
- Providing new lessons focussed on tackling cyberbullying, misinformation, and addictive design, and on promoting healthy digital habits and emotional regulation.
- Providing practical tools and training for educators to embed digital wellbeing into everyday teaching.
Across the entire programme, SUJ will also continue to focus on inclusive, accessible content for children from all backgrounds – including those with disabilities or in underserved communities.
To learn more about the partnership between Vodafone Foundation Save the Children, see the longer news story, or the dedicated SUJ website which hosts the full report, the executive summary and a child friendly version of the new report.
