TIC Kids Online Brazil 2023: Children are connecting to the Internet earlier in the country

Survey, released this Wednesday (25), showed that a larger proportion of children accessed the network for the first time by the age of six; the study also showed that the search for health and well-being related information increased in this edition of the survey.

The age of first Internet access by Brazilian children has been decreasing in recent years. TIC Kids Online Brazil 2023, released this Wednesday (25), showed that 24% of respondents reported starting to connect to the network in early childhood, that is, by the age of six. For comparison, in the 2015 edition, this proportion was 11%.

Conducted since 2012 by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), part of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br) under the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil (CGI.br), the TIC Kids Online Brazil survey presents trends regarding access and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by the Brazilian population aged 9 to 17 years. The 2023 edition was launched during the 8th Children and Adolescents on the Internet Symposium, organized by NIC.br and CGI.br.

“The survey shows a growing trend of Internet use starting in early childhood. This phenomenon underscores the need for robust data on the online opportunities and risks experienced by children and adolescents, which should guide policies and actions aimed at ensuring their rights and protection,” points out Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br|NIC.br.

Currently, 95% of the population aged 9 to 17 are Internet users in the country, which represents 25 million people. The cell phone was identified as an access device for 97% of users, being the only means of network connection for 20% of respondents. The devices: cell phone, television, computer, and videogame. Considering only the DE classes, this proportion reaches 38%.

“Limitations in device availability can restrict benefits and widen inequalities among individuals in different socio-economic contexts. In Brazil, the cell phone is still the only device for Internet connection for a significant portion of children and adolescents, especially in the DE classes,” explains Barbosa.

Internet access via television has increased year-on-year among children and adolescents of all social strata. This year, the percentage of network access via television reached 70%, with the proportion being 88% among the AB classes, 75% for class C, and 54% for the DE classes. In 2019, 43% connected via TV; in 2022, 63%.

The use of computers for network access among this age group remained stable (38%) compared to 2022 (43%). Less available for users from the DE classes (15%), it remains predominant in the AB classes (71%) – in class C it is used by 41%.

Online activities performed by children and adolescents

According to the survey, 88% of the Brazilian population aged 9 to 17 reported maintaining profiles on digital platforms. Among those aged 15 to 17, the proportion was 99%.

For the first time, TIC Kids Online Brazil collected data on YouTube usage. According to the survey, 88% of children and adolescents interviewed have access to the online video platform. Meanwhile, 78% said they have WhatsApp, 66% have Instagram; 63% TikTok, and 41% Facebook.

Instagram (36%) is the most used platform among Internet users aged 9 to 17, followed by YouTube (29%); TikTok (27%), and Facebook (2%). In the 9 to 10-year-old and 11 to 12-year-old groups, YouTube leads with 42% and 44% respectively. In the 13 to 14-year-old group (38%) and the 15 to 17-year-old group (62%), Instagram predominates.

“The proportion of children and adolescents who report watching online videos has grown throughout the historical series of the survey. Digital platforms aimed at sharing and creating multimedia content are used by almost all users aged 15 to 17,” comments Luísa Adib, coordinator of the TIC Kids Online Brazil survey.

Health and well-being

This year’s survey once again investigated the use of the Internet in searching for health and well-being related information among the population aged 11 to 17 – the topic first appeared in the previous edition. From 2021 to 2023, all indicators were reported by a larger proportion of respondents.

More than half (58%) reported having come across publications about ways to obtain “healthy eating, information about diets or healthy meals” (versus 43% in 2021); 45% had come across information about exercises, sports, or getting in shape (versus 28%) and 34% with information about their feelings, emotional distress, mental health, or well-being (versus 29%).

Half (50%) reported that the Internet helped them better cope with some health issue (39% in 2021).

Contact with online advertising and propaganda

For the first time, the survey collected, in a single edition, data on critical digital skills and indicators related to consumption. The study revealed that 78% of users aged 11 to 17 agree that companies pay people to use their products in videos and content they publish on the Internet, while 59% said they watched videos of “people teaching how to use a product” and “people unboxing a product.”

“Although children and adolescents agree that people are paid to talk about products, they do not always recognize that they are facing marketing communication when watching videos, in the online environment, with people using or unboxing products,” highlights Adib.

The study further shows that 50% of users aged 11 to 17 asked their guardians to buy a product after contact with advertising or propaganda, and only 28% of children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 have parents or guardians who claim to use “filters” or settings that restrict contact with advertising on the network.

Clothes and shoes (60%) were the most viewed product categories in online publications, followed by electronic equipment (52%), food and drinks (49%), makeup and other beauty products (45%), and videogames or games (41%). Publications with clothes and shoes were seen by 72% of girls and 48% of boys. Meanwhile, those about videogames or games were seen by 26% of girls and 56% of boys. Additionally, according to the survey, 46% of Internet users aged 15 to 17 reported following a page or profile of a product or brand.

Digital skills

As in the previous edition, TIC Kids Online Brazil 2023 investigated the perception of children and adolescents about digital skills they believe they possess. According to the survey, 76% of respondents said it was “true” or “very true” that they knew how to choose which words to use to find something on the Internet. The percentage of those who reported knowing how to check if information found online was correct was lower (58%).

Almost half (47%) of users in this age group agreed that everyone finds the same information when searching for things on the Internet, and for 40%, the first search result online is always the best source of information.

“For over a decade, TIC Kids Online Brazil has been helping the government and society to understand the habits of Brazilian children and adolescents on the Internet, and how these habits have been evolving over time. Its indicators are a reference for the formulation of public policies in the area,” highlights Renata Mielli, coordinator of CGI.br.

About the survey

The 10th edition of the TIC Kids Online Brazil survey interviewed in person 2,704 children and adolescents aged 9 to 17, as well as their parents or guardians, across the national territory. The interviews took place between March and July 2023.

TIC Kids Online Brazil is aligned with the methodological framework of the Global Kids Online, coordinated by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), and with the Kids Online Latin America network.

The full list of indicators can be found at https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/kids-online/indicadores/. To review the survey’s launch panel, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8-CkzBzlA8. Cetic.br also provides the microdata of the 10th edition of the study for download, as well as complete tables of proportions, totals, and respective margins of error at: https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/kids-online/microdados/.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), part of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on Internet access and use in Brazil, publishing periodic analyses and information on the network's development in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Center for Studies under the auspices of UNESCO, marking 18 years of activity in 2023. More information at https://cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity responsible for the operation of the .br domain, as well as the distribution of IP numbers and the registration of Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil - CGI.br since 2005, and all resources raised come from its essentially private activities. It conducts actions and projects that benefit the Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes:  Registro.br (https://registro.br/), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br/), besides projects such as Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br/) and the Best Practice Portal for Internet in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the W3C Chapter São Paulo office (https://w3c.br/).

About the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil – CGI.br
The Internet Steering Committee in Brazil, responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of the services offered. Based on the principles of multilateralism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, praised internationally, in which all sectors of society participate equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/.

Press Contacts – NIC.br:

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https://webershandwick.com.br/
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Ana Nascimento - anascimento@webershandwick.com - (11) 98670-6579 

Communication Advisory – NIC.br
Carolina Carvalho - Communication Manager - carolcarvalho@nic.br
Thiago Santiago - Communication Coordinator - santiago@nic.br 

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