European children's use and understanding of generative AI (EU Kids Online Report No 1 | 2026)

Key Findings

• — Roughly seven in ten European children use some form of generative AI; use rises sharply in adolescence and with socio-economic advantage, and gender differences are small.
• — Riskier uses such as advice seeking remain less common: only 15% of respondents reported using generative AI to get advice or emotional support, with about a fifth in some countries.
• — Interviews describe children turning to chatbots in moments of boredom, loneliness or worry, and generative AI increasingly reached through embedded tools (search, messaging, social media) rather than deliberate choice.
• — Most children want guidance and support on generative AI rather than restriction or bans.
• — The report was released on Safer Internet Day 2026 and is the reference point for national EU Kids Online thematic reports (Portugal reports one quarter using generative AI for emotional and personal support, ten points above the European average).

Methodology Notes

EU Kids Online 2025 survey (fieldwork 1 November 2024 to 31 July 2025) with 25,592 children aged 9 to 16 in 17 countries and 244 qualitative interviews with 13 to 17 year olds in 15 countries; new generative-AI items; per-country tables in the report. 35-page PDF (created 8 February 2026) published 10 February 2026. The LSE Research Online eprint page is Cloudflare-walled to this workspace; the PDF was verified from a Wayback capture dated 18 June 2026 and the LSE project landing page. The LSE DOI 10.21953/researchonline.lse.ac.uk.00137132 is not registered with Crossref.

Sources