Here’s the translation to American English:
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A recent study conducted by UNICEF Spain has highlighted the growing concern regarding children and adolescents’ interaction with the digital environment. The research, considered the most comprehensive on the impact of technology on childhood and adolescence in the country, reveals that six out of ten children have had encounters with strangers online.
The findings are alarming: 25.1% of the surveyed youth have received sexual messages, while nearly 9% have faced pressure to send erotic photos or videos. Additionally, the study indicates that 29.6% of children and adolescents have consumed pornography, starting on average at the age of 11.5 years. An equally worrying aspect is that 70% of respondents do not feel comfortable talking about sex at home, which may contribute to a lack of proper information.
The report also highlights access to technology among the younger population. By age 10, 41% of children already own a mobile phone, a figure that rises to 76% by age 12. Upon entering high school, nearly all adolescents (92.8%) have a personal phone. Furthermore, it reveals that 9% of boys and girls aged 10 to 20 spend more than five hours daily on social media during the week, a number that increases to 20% on weekends.
Social media presence is also significant, with 92.5% of teenagers participating in at least one platform and 75.8% on three or more. Even in the last years of elementary school, 78.3% of children have a profile on some social media.
Gustavo Suárez-Pertierra, president of UNICEF Spain, has stated that while digitalization can be a tool that promotes creativity and strengthens social ties, its premature use without proper supervision carries serious risks. These include the loss of healthy habits, mental fatigue, image pressure, cyberbullying, and exposure to inappropriate content.
The national authorities involved in creating the study emphasize that these findings are crucial for developing public policies that address the current needs of society, highlighting the necessity for more effective intervention in the digital education of young people.
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via: MiMub in Spanish