Children, smartphones and social media
Think tank: Civitas
Author(s): Danna Brown
May 1, 2026
This report from UK think tank Civitas examines whether Britain is falling behind in addressing children’s smartphone and social media use.
This report examines how France, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Australia are addressing children’s social media and smartphone use.
It considers what lessons, if any, Britain might draw from these five countries as it develops its own policy response. No single country has a complete solution to this problem, nor has any single country sufficiently resolved the tensions among the protection of children online, statutory guidance, parental responsibility and children’s autonomy.
Together, however, the five countries analysed illustrate a range of tools that Britain could consider as it debates what further measures to implement to protect children in the digital age.
