The protection of children online, greater democratic participation, defence capabilities, and the transition to clean energy – these are some of the concerns highlighted by a new Eurobarometer survey, commissioned by the European Commission and released today. The survey was conducted online between 19 and 24 June 2026. A total of 25,904 EU citizens were interviewed across all 27 Member States. The survey reports that “a large majority of Europeans want the EU to do more to protect children from the risks online”. Europeans “are overwhelmingly concerned about all the risks children face on social media”. Cyberbullying and harassment top the list of concerns, worrying 71% of respondents, closely followed by fears of online grooming and sexual exploitation (70%), exposure to harmful content such as violence, self-harm or extremism (69%), and misuse of children’s personal data (69%). Significant majorities also point to the risk of children being recruited for illegal activities (64%) and exposed to addictive platform design (60%). “Nearly two in three Europeans (63%) want EU rules restricting children’s access to social media by age, whether through an outright ban below a certain threshold (36%) or delayed access (27%). 13% prefer leaving oversight to parents and schools without further EU intervention”.