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Published on 2025-04-01
54.9% of minors with problems stemming from the inappropriate use of technology do not receive psychological care—a figure that rises to 60.1% when the issues are related to RICT (Relationship, Information, and Communication Technologies).
This is according to the study "Technology. Impact on childhood and adolescence in Spain, according to their testimony", carried out by the Research and Studies Center of the ANAR Foundation. Its conclusions were presented at a press conference held this Tuesday at the organization’s headquarters in Madrid, attended by Technical Director Benjamín Ballesteros, Head of Helplines Diana Díaz, and Legal Director Sonsoles Bartolomé.
The report analyzed a total of 11,164 cases handled through ANAR Helplines between June 2023 and June 2024, with the aim, according to Ballesteros, of "analyzing the impact of the misuse of technology to better understand these issues empirically and create suitable protective environments."
Ballesteros stated, "Technology is useful and necessary; but its misuse can significantly worsen issues affecting minors," highlighting that in 56.4% of surveyed minors, inappropriate use of RICT was involved in the origin or worsening of the issue prompting the consultation.
Diana Díaz noted that 38% of inappropriate use cases are linked to new problems like cyberbullying, tech addiction, grooming (adults impersonating minors online), and non-consensual sexting (sharing sexual images without consent).
PROFILE OF THE MINOR
The most frequent profile seen by ANAR involves girls and female adolescents (63.8%), except in cases of tech addiction, which are more common among boys (54.6%, 9.2% higher than girls). The most common age is 14, ranging from 9 to 16, with an average age of 12.5.
Higher prevalence is seen in single-parent families (58.3%) and shared custody (60.1%), compared to households where both parents are present.
In 62.5% of cases, minors show low academic performance, and 56.4% report low satisfaction with school life.
DETECTED PROBLEMS
Díaz explained that the problems detected by ANAR fall into three categories: violence (including pornography and prostitution at 87.5%, gender violence at 76.7%, expulsion from home at 64.1%, and psychological abuse at 60.8%); mental health (including behavioral issues at 64.2%, suicidal ideation or attempts at 61.7%, and self-harm at 54.5%—the latter two having increased 20-fold in recent years); and other issues, such as TRIC involvement in disappearances (75.4%) and legal problems (52%) like identity theft via AI, threats, or parental coercion.
Despite this, Díaz warned that 54.9% of minors with tech-related issues receive no psychological support, rising to 60.1% when TRIC is involved. “They are very alone,” she lamented.
The report also found that 79.7% of cases are high-severity, 71.8% are urgent, 65.4% last more than a year, and 70.7% involve daily repetition of the problem.
ANAR has intensified its intervention levels, with 73.5% of cases requiring simultaneous psychological, legal, and social support.
LEGISLATION & RECOMMENDATIONS
Legal Director Bartolomé emphasized that “technology offers vast opportunities to minors but also presents risks,” urging both the creation of new regulations and proper enforcement of existing laws like the EU Digital Services Act and Spain’s Comprehensive Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents from Violence (Lopivi).
The report provides over 100 recommendations, urging families to set clear rules on technology use, improve communication, and actively support children in the digital environment.
In education, it calls for early digital, social, and sexual-affective education, ongoing teacher training in digital skills, and universal implementation of ANAR’s helpline in classrooms, as per Article 17 of the Lopivi.
For tech companies, it demands ethical responsibility in content design and reward systems, effective support channels, and always prioritizing the child’s best interest.
Finally, the text calls on public institutions to pass and apply the new law on protecting minors in digital environments, recently approved by Spain’s Council of Ministers, ensuring a rights- and child-participation-based approach.
Asked about the recent case of a disabled minor bullied in a Santander high school, Ballesteros said “this is not an isolated case” and announced a future ANAR study focused on children with disabilities “to spotlight this vulnerable group.”
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