Ninety five percent of U.S. teens connect to the internet daily. Smartphone access reaches 92 percent among them with average daily use near five hours. Data track device patterns, exposure to harmful content, and parental oversight across countries.
Key Takeaways
- 92% of U.S. teens have smartphone access, using it 4.8 hours daily in 2023
- 85% of UK kids aged 5-7 own or use tablet daily in 2023
- Globally, 70% of children under 12 use smartphones as primary device in 2022
- 33% cyberbullying victimization rate among U.S. teens in 2022
- 59% of UK children 13-17 encountered harmful content online in 2023
- Globally, 33% of children experienced online sexual solicitation in 2021
- 52% of parents use monitoring software for kids under 13 in U.S. 2023
- 71% of UK parents set time limits on children's devices in 2023
- Globally, 60% of parents discuss online safety with kids weekly in 2022
- 53% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 use YouTube daily
- TikTok usage among UK 8-17 year olds reached 65% in 2023
- 71% of global kids play online games weekly in 2022
- In 2023, 95% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 use the internet daily
- Children aged 8-12 in the UK spend an average of 2 hours 12 minutes on social media daily in 2022
- Globally, kids under 13 average 3.5 hours online per day as of 2021
Most kids and teens worldwide use internet-ready devices daily, often for hours, starting very young.
Related reading
01 · Category
Device Usage15 stats
01
92% of U.S. teens have smartphone access, using it 4.8 hours daily in 2023
02
85% of UK kids aged 5-7 own or use tablet daily in 2023
03
Globally, 70% of children under 12 use smartphones as primary device in 2022
04
59% of U.S. children 0-8 use smartphones primarily in 2020
05
Australian 8-11 year olds: 98% use smartphones in 2022
06
73% of EU kids 9-16 use laptops/tablets for internet in 2020
07
Indian children 5-15: 62% use mobile phones for internet access in 2023
08
91% of Brazilian children 9-17 have smartphones in 2022
09
South Korean kids 10-19: 95% own smartphones in 2022
10
Canadian children under 13: 80% use tablets daily in 2023
11
French kids 2-10: 65% use TV/smart TV as main screen device in 2022
12
48% of U.S. tweens use gaming consoles for online access in 2021
13
UK 12-15 year olds: 99% use smartphones
14
82% of global children 8-12 prefer mobile devices over desktops in 2022
15
Mexican children 6-11: 75% use shared family devices in 2023
Interpretation
Device Usage Interpretation
The digital pacifier is now a global phenomenon, with children from Brazil to South Korea expertly swiping before they can even tie their shoes, proving the smartphone is the true universal language of the 21st-century playground.
02 · Category
Online Risks17 stats
01
33% cyberbullying victimization rate among U.S. teens in 2022
02
59% of UK children 13-17 encountered harmful content online in 2023
03
Globally, 33% of children experienced online sexual solicitation in 2021
04
46% of U.S. tweens faced cyberbullying in 2021
05
25% of Australian children 8-17 saw upsetting content online in 2022
06
34% of EU kids 9-16 contacted by strangers online in 2020
07
41% of Indian children exposed to fake news online in 2023
08
28% of Brazilian youth experienced online harassment in 2022
09
37% of South Korean kids faced online addiction risks in 2022
10
22% of Canadian children 10-15 met online strangers offline in 2023
11
31% of French teens saw violent content online weekly in 2022
12
19% of U.S. children 0-8 exposed to inappropriate ads in 2020
13
54% of UK 12-15 year olds worried about privacy online in 2023
14
27% global child internet users faced grooming attempts in 2021
15
35% of U.S. 13-17 year olds deleted apps due to creepy ads in 2023
16
44% of Australian kids shared personal info unsafely in 2022
17
29% of EU children clicked suspicious links in 2020
Interpretation
Online Risks Interpretation
The internet has turned childhood into a global game of digital hazing, where the obstacles are no longer scraped knees but a pervasive buffet of predation, propaganda, and psychological landmines.
03 · Category
Parental Controls and Supervision17 stats
01
52% of parents use monitoring software for kids under 13 in U.S. 2023
02
71% of UK parents set time limits on children's devices in 2023
03
Globally, 60% of parents discuss online safety with kids weekly in 2022
04
65% of U.S. parents check children's social media in 2021
05
48% of Australian parents use parental controls on devices in 2022
06
57% of EU parents monitor online activities daily in 2020
07
39% of Indian parents aware of child privacy settings in 2023
08
62% of Brazilian parents set app restrictions in 2022
09
74% of South Korean parents use filtering software in 2022
10
50% of Canadian parents co-view online content with kids in 2023
11
66% of French parents teach about online strangers in 2022
12
45% of U.S. parents use family sharing features on devices in 2020
13
68% of UK parents concerned about screen time, act on it in 2023
14
55% global parents attend online safety workshops in 2021
15
70% of U.S. parents block explicit content on kids' accounts in 2023
16
42% of Australian parents review browsing history in 2022
17
61% of EU parents confident in digital literacy teaching in 2020
Interpretation
Parental Controls and Supervision Interpretation
The global village is now a digital playground, and parents worldwide are responding with a mix of anxious vigilance and hopeful guidance, trying to install guardrails on the internet's infinite slide.
More related reading
04 · Category
Popular Activities and Apps17 stats
01
53% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 use YouTube daily
02
TikTok usage among UK 8-17 year olds reached 65% in 2023
03
71% of global kids play online games weekly in 2022
04
U.S. children 8-12: 80% watch videos on YouTube in 2021
05
Instagram used by 62% of Australian teens 13-17 in 2022
06
Snapchat popular among 57% of EU 15-16 year olds in 2020
07
WhatsApp used daily by 45% of Indian children 10-17 in 2023
08
Roblox played by 36% of Brazilian kids 9-12 in 2022
09
68% of South Korean children use KakaoTalk for messaging in 2022
10
55% of Canadian tweens stream video content daily in 2023
11
Discord used by 40% of French teens for gaming chat in 2022
12
89% of U.S. teens use social media for entertainment in 2023
13
75% of UK children 5-15 play online games in 2023
14
Streaming services like Netflix used by 60% of global kids daily in 2022
15
Educational apps used by 42% of U.S. 0-8 year olds weekly in 2020
16
Facebook Messenger top app for 30% of Australian kids 8-12 in 2022
17
49% of EU children use internet for schoolwork daily in 2020
Interpretation
Popular Activities and Apps Interpretation
From Brazil's Roblox to South Korea's KakaoTalk, the digital playground has become the world's dominant, unifying youth culture, seamlessly blending education, entertainment, and social life into a single, ever-scrolling feed.
05 · Category
Time Spent Online15 stats
01
In 2023, 95% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 use the internet daily
02
Children aged 8-12 in the UK spend an average of 2 hours 12 minutes on social media daily in 2022
03
Globally, kids under 13 average 3.5 hours online per day as of 2021
04
63% of U.S. children aged 0-8 use screen media for more than 2 hours daily in 2017
05
In 2022, Australian children aged 5-12 spent 2.1 hours daily on digital devices
06
89% of UK children aged 5-15 were online every day in 2023
07
U.S. tweens (9-12) average 5.5 hours of recreational screen time daily in 2022
08
72% of children aged 8-18 in the U.S. are online 'almost constantly' or several times a day per 2022 data
09
Indian children aged 8-17 spend 2.6 hours daily on internet in 2023
10
81% of EU children aged 9-16 use internet daily in 2020
11
Brazilian kids under 10 average 3 hours online daily in 2022
12
67% of U.S. kids aged 2-5 use YouTube daily, averaging 1.5 hours in 2021
13
South Korean children aged 3-9 spend 1.8 hours on internet daily in 2022
14
76% of Canadian children 10-15 online daily for over 3 hours in 2023
15
French children 11-17 average 3.5 hours social media daily in 2022
Interpretation
Time Spent Online Interpretation
The digital playground has become the world's most crowded and demanding after-school program, with attendance now mandatory for childhood itself.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Childrens Internet Usage Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/childrens-internet-usage-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Childrens Internet Usage Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/childrens-internet-usage-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Childrens Internet Usage Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/childrens-internet-usage-statistics.
Sources & references
15 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level