European children's use and understanding of generative AI: EU Kids Online 2026

Abstract

Over the past three decades, the internet and digital technologies have become deeply integrated in the everyday lives of children and young people across Europe. The EU Kids Online network (EUKO) has systematically studied these changes since 2006. This multidisciplinary research network was established to provide policymakers, educators, parents and other stakeholders with a robust evidence base on how children use digital technologies, the opportunities they encounter, and the risks they face. Through successive international surveys, most notably the 2010 and 2018 EUKO international comparative studies, EUKO has documented how emerging technologies, from personal computers to smartphones, from chatgroups to social networks, have become embedded in children’s everyday lives. In recent years, children’s online environments have been reshaped by the rapid integration of AI-based tools into search engines, social media platforms, messaging services, creative applications, and educational technologies. These developments introduce new possibilities for learning, creativity and support, while also raising new concerns related to misinformation, synthetic content, privacy, automation, and manipulation. At the same time, regulatory frameworks such as the GDPR and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act seek to respond to these changes, underlining the need for timely, evidence-based knowledge about how children use and experience GenAI in their daily lives. Responding to the growing need to understand if and how children use GenAI across Europe, and its potential implications for risks and opportunities, this EUKO report is a thematic publication based on data from the EUKO 2025 survey. It is the first international report released from the new dataset and is published in connection with Safer Internet Day 2026 under its theme: 'Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI'. The main aim of this report is to map children’s access to, use of and experiences with GenAI across Europe, and to examine if and how GenAI is becoming part of their everyday digital lives. The report draws on comparative data from 20 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. This includes data from the EU Kids Online survey with 25,592 children aged 9 to 16 in 17 countries and additional qualitative interviews with 244 children aged 13 to 17 years in 15 countries. The report identifies emerging patterns, diLerences between groups and countries, and key areas of opportunity and concern. In doing so, it provides an early and policy-relevant insight into how GenAI is reshaping childhood in Europe.