This report, written by Save the Children UK together with the Vodafone Foundation, presents a comprehensive analysis of children’s digital wellbeing across eight European countries. The study combines literature review, expert interviews and secondary data from child-focused research to assess current challenges and opportunities in promoting safe, rights-based and empowering digital engagement for children.

The report explores children’s digital wellbeing through examining the current ecosystem for children’s digital wellbeing in Europe. It aims to define children’s digital wellbeing and shift a narrative focused solely on harm to also consider the opportunities of the online world for children. The report also looks at digital stress factors for children such as the impact of hyper-connectivity and promoted social norms. It also reviews existing initiatives within schools and education systems that support children’s digital wellbeing, providing examples of good practice.

Key findings highlight fragmented policy implementation, unequal access and emerging digital harms such as algorithmic bias, deepfakes and AI-generated abuse material, disproportionately affecting girls, LGBTQIA+ youth, children with disabilities and those from minority backgrounds. The report calls for taking a rights-based approach, prioritising children’s voices and their agency as well as strengthening child protection systems and a whole school model to create an enabling environment. It also highlights the interconnectedness of the online and offline world, emphasises the consideration of children’s developmental stages and their diversity. Finally, the report highlights the use of evidence-based approaches to inform policy and practice.

The children’s version of the report specifically focusses on insights from children and adult experts, supporting children’s own understanding and voices to call on adults and decision-makers to help create the supportive digital spaces children are asking for.