Almost half of Brazilian children and adolescents show signs of anxiety, irritability or difficulty focusing due to excessive time in front of screens. The data is part of an unprecedented survey by Projeto Brief on adultization and early use of social networks in the country.
Entitled “120 days after the Felca viral: the portrait of Adultization in Brazil”, the survey heard from 1,800 parents about their support to ensure a safe digital environment for minors.
46% of parents say that their children show anxiety, irritability or difficulty focusing due to spending time online, and 8% of parents report that their children have suffered episodes of harassment or digital abuse, a rate that doubles among girls aged 13 to 15.
According to the study, 77% of children and adolescents already have their own cell phone, and 73% have at least one active social network, even among age groups in which use should be restricted. Among teenagers aged 13 to 18, the rate rises to 91%. Even among children under 7 years old, 28% already have a network account.
The survey also highlights failures in supervision: 35% of children post content on the internet without any monitoring. Only 37% of guardians say they know how to use parental control tools; 45% have heard of it, but do not use it; and 18% had never had contact with the resource.
Shared responsibility
For those interviewed, ensuring the digital safety of children is a divided task:
- Fathers and mothers – 82%;
- Platforms – 76%;
- Government – 61%;
- Influencers – 37%;
- Schools – 32%.
ECA Digital is still unknown
Even after the approval of laws such as ECA Digital, which increases the protection of children and adolescents on the internet, the term is still poorly understood: only 36% have heard of ECA Digital.
Just like the research, the processing of “ECA Digital” takes place after influencer Felipe Bressanim Pereira, known as Felca, published a video exposing cases such as that of Hytalo Santos, which explored the sexualized image of children and adolescents on social media.
The research also tested protective measures. The most approved are: Verified user identity (72%), Usage reports for parents (63%), Limit comments for minors (54%) and Limit usage time (46%).
