The Center for Independent Journalism recently published the findings of the research “The Relationship with Information and Media Consumption Habits of Children and Young People in Romania”. 

The study provides key insights into access to technology and the internet, students’ specific needs, and data on fields where are differences between boys and girls, urban and rural students, as well as between different educational levels. It also explores students’ preferences for certain types of content, their ability to verify information they find suspicious, and the reasons they consider information to be true.

The report reveals students’ internet and social media usage habits based on their educational level (primary, middle school, high school), the differences between these groups, and the types of activities they engage in (socializing, entertainment, information-seeking, etc.).

Survey Sample

A total of 1,852 students participated in the survey:

• 552 students from 3rd and 4th grade
• 740 students from middle school (5th–8th grade)
• 560 students from high school (9th–12th grade)

The sample is nationally representative for Romanian students in grades 3–4 and 5–12 and also representative based on socio-demographic factors (gender, age, region, grade level, etc.).

The quantitative data collection period was February 22 – March 26, 2024.
The full study can be read and downloaded here.

Key Findings

Internet Access and Usage Habits

• 95.7% of high school students, 83.5% of middle school students, and 60.1% of 3rd and 4th graders use the internet daily.
• High school and middle school students primarily use the internet to communicate with friends, family, or others on social media and to consume media content on social platforms.
• Across all age groups, students consume more content than they create on social media.
• ChatGPT is the most well-known and widely used AI tool among both high school and middle school students.

Social Media Usage Habits

• The most popular online platforms among high school and middle school students are Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and YouTube.
• Students rarely share media content created by others, and when they do, they share more on Instagram than TikTok, mostly via private messages to friends—especially if the content is funny or interesting.
• The majority of students do not post content on TikTok—only 2 out of 10 high school and middle school students say they do.
• Only 2.2% of 3rd and 4th graders report not having an account on any social platform.
• Only 29% of students know how to report posts that scare, upset, or disturb them, and 28% know how to set their accounts to private or visible only to friends/family.

Favorite Influencers and Content Creators

Among the 270 responses to the survey question on this topic, there were at least 170 unique mentions, indicating a wide diversity of content creators followed by high school students. This highlights a growing micro-influencer culture, with preferences varying based on interests such as music, gaming, fashion, etc.

News Consumption and Relationship with Mass Media

• Both high school and middle school students consider discussions with friends and family/adults as their primary sources of information.
• For high school students, after discussions with friends or family, the most frequently used news sources are:
  • Podcasts (25.9%)
  • Influencers covering daily or weekly news (19.6%)
  • These sources are often watched daily for two or more hours.
• Least used news sources among students:
  • Print media (newspapers and magazines) – 8 out of 10 high school and middle school students never use this source.
  • Radio – Nearly 7 out of 10 high school and middle school students never listen to the radio.
  • Online press – More than 6 out of 10 high school students and 8 out of 10 middle school students do not use online news sources at all.

The Information Chaos: How Students Perceive Fake News

• High school students report encountering fake news most often in topics related to:
  1. Celebrities and influencers (17%)
  2. Humanitarian crises (15%)
  3. Politics (15%)
• Middle school students, on the other hand, do not identify specific topics where they frequently see fake news.
• The top three criteria high school students use to determine if a piece of information is true:
  1. It confirms what they already knew about the topic (58.9%)
  2. It appears in multiple sources (56.6%)
  3. They can identify the source or author (47%)
• 5 out of 10 high school students do nothing when they encounter fake news.
• Nearly 3 out of 10 say they report posts containing false information.
• Focus group discussions indicate that students are more likely to tell friends, family, or close acquaintanceswhen they identify false information rather than publicly posting about it on social media.

For more details, visit www.cji.ro.