The “childhood and digital technology” barometer is a study carried out by the Fondation pour l’Enfance every year since 2023, to document the presence of digital technology in children’s lives. After developing, for three consecutive years, cross-perspectives from parents and professionals, the Fondation pour l’Enfance this year carried out a cross-perspective study of children and parents on the “digital life” habits of children aged 8 to 15. The study was carried out in partnership with IFOP (Institut français d’opinion publique).
The panel surveyed for this study comprised 1,001 parents of children aged 8 to 15 and 953 children of the same ages, all of whom answered a self-administered online questionnaire.
The results of this study come at a time when the bill to ban social media for under-15s and create a digital curfew for 15-18-year-olds, dated 18 November 2025, had just been tabled in the National Assembly.
The results:
Between 85 and 88% of the parents surveyed answered that they felt at least fairly comfortable with the digital tools used by their children, which runs counter to certain preconceptions (notably that some parents do not understand their children’s digital activities).
The study also highlights parents’ projections about the frequency of their children’s digital practices by category, and the answers of the children themselves. For most topics (school digital portals, messaging, music…), parents’ projections are close to, or even identical with, the children’s answers, except for four categories. Among these four categories are time spent on online games, which was underestimated by about 7 points by the panel of parents, and also reading, which was overestimated by parents by about 5 points.
The results of several parts of the questionnaire used for the study show that, overall, parents’ and children’s answers on the frequency of digital practices are close. This could be interpreted as parents having good knowledge of their children’s practices and, a fortiori, as communication on these themes within the different households. Similarly, according to the results of the study, 94% of parents have set at least one rule concerning screens (parental control, duration, etc.).
Regarding parental controls, 94% of the parents surveyed consider them an effective tool, alongside communication and prevention about the risks of the internet and digital tools. Supporting this idea, 95% of children and parents answered that they at least occasionally have discussions about digital technology at home. Despite this, the study reveals that 44% of parents think these discussions can cause frustration or arguments, against 40% of the children surveyed. The gap in perception widens on the topics of discussion about digital technology (good practices, risks, etc.), where parents answered that they generally address these topics more than the children reported. This is correlated with the 70% of children who answered no to the question: “Would you like to talk about what you do on screens with your parents?”, while 68% agree that parental control is a good protective tool.
The study also shows that 8 in 10 children aged 11 to 15 have a smartphone with internet access, and that this figure is explained by the start of secondary school, but also by the growing presence of online portals for schooling (ENT).
Regarding the recommendations to limit screens on waking or before bedtime, the study shows that about 4 in 5 households apply the latter. To continue the reflection on the place of the screen in a child’s life, the study shows that parents tend to offer their children a screen during transition times (waiting, on the train, etc.), or to free up time to work or do household chores.
To conclude, the study shows that, in the sample of families surveyed, communication about digital tools, their risks and their benefits is particularly present and well received by both children and parents, who have a broadly similar view of children’s exposure to the different types of digital content.
For an overview of the study, how it was carried out, and to listen to the associated talk, simply visit the website of the Fondation pour l’Enfance, or click on the following URL:
https://www.fondation-enfance.org/2026/02/16/enfance-et-numerique-4e-barometre-croise-parents-enfants/
Natacha Lesage
