Spain’s ANAR foundation analysed more than 11,000 cases and found 56% involved the digital sphere.
Three in four cases of gender-based violence reported to a Spanish youth support organisation involved digital technology, the foundation has warned, as it published an analysis revealing the growing role the online sphere is playing in serious childhood problems.
The Foundation for Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk (ANAR) analysed the cases of more than 11,000 children and young people who approached the group for help between June 2023 and June 2024, finding that 56% were related to or aggravated by digital technologies.
Among cases related to gender-based violence, it was present in 77% of incidents reported to the foundation.
The research was published in the wake of the release of the hit Netflix series Adolescence, which has fueled discussions about how to protect children from the harms of social media and online radicalisation, with some, including the show’s creator, advocating for smartphone bans.
ANAR listed cyberbullying, screen addiction, online harassment, grooming and non-consensual sexting among the issues experienced by children in which digital platforms were central.
But it was also found to be present in issues related to children being expelled from their homes, 64%, and psychological abuse, 61%.
Among those who reported experiencing suicidal ideation and a suicide attempt, digital platforms were said to be related to 62% of cases.
Girls more likely to be affected
Girls were overall more likely to be affected, the analysis found, making up 63.8% of the cases. There was an exception in cases related to screen addiction, where boys made up the majority, at 55%.
The most common age of those affected was 14.
Diana Díaz, the helpline’s director, stressed that the caseload was becoming more complicated, with nearly three in four cases requiring simultaneous psychological, legal and social support. “We are facing more serious, more urgent and more difficult cases to address,” she said.
Díaz said that many of the children and young people facing these issues were doing so alone, with 55% of those whose cases were analysed by ANAR not receiving professional support. “We are encountering minors experiencing extreme situations alone, without professional care, without emotional support, without supervision in the proper use of technology and without knowing how to ask for help,” she said.
‘Increasing suffering’
Benjamín Ballesteros, ANAR director and spokesperson said that while digital technology was an essential part of modern life, its misuse was increasing harms in young people.
“The message is clear: there is increasing suffering linked to the inappropriate use of technology and often this suffering is silenced or ignored by those around them, so we must protect them,” Ballesteros explained.
He added that technologies “must be tools for development, taking advantage of their full potential in a positive way, not as a cause of discomfort.”
“We cannot give minors devices with an internet connection and unlimited access to endless content that can be highly harmful.”
The research followed an Amnesty International survey released last month, which found that 73% of social media users aged 13-28 in the UK had witnessed misogynistic content online.
It also came after Spain’s cabinet approved a bill which if passed by parliament would, among other measures, raise the minimum age for social media use from 14 to 16. It would also toughen the penalties for online grooming and deepfake abuse.
The helpline’s legal director, Sonsoles Bartolomé, called for action “on all fronts”.
“Prevention in the classroom, support from families, effective regulation of the digital environment and co-responsibility of technological platforms are key. Children’s rights must also be protected in the online environment,” she said, pointing to more than 100 recommendations made by ANAR.
Tech companies must adopt greater ethical responsibility when designing content and platforms, the report concluded. It also recommended that families establish clear rules, openly communicate and be actively present in their children’s online life.
