Children, culture and social media: how young people live in Luxembourg

In 2023, the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture commissioned LISER (Luxembourg Institute for Social and Economic Research) to conduct a large-scale study of the cultural practices of young people from 6 to 21 years old. With more than 6,000 participants, it is the first such comprehensive attempt in twenty years to understand how adolescents and children today interact with culture, from music to museums.

Almost every child has access to the Internet (99%) and a smartphone (96%). Television is watched by 93%, but only a third watch it live. There is a strong preference for films and series. Radio is mainly oriented towards radio until the age of 10; after that, interest drops sharply. But 84% of all respondents use video-on-demand (VOD) platforms - a figure that rises to 88% by age 21.

Social media has become an integral part of life: 93% of 6 to 21 year olds use it. YouTube is the most popular platform, followed by messengers, Instagram and TikTok. Twitter (X) and Facebook remain on the periphery of interest. Girls use Instagram and Pinterest more actively, while TikTok is more common among teenagers from less affluent families.

73 per cent read books, but only 38 per cent read comics, and no more than 17 per cent read the press. Reading declines sharply after the age of 10 and depends on the social status of the family. Among children whose parents have higher education, 87 per cent read books; among the rest, only 57 per cent read books.

About 73% of young people visit libraries, mostly before the age of 12. Later the frequency decreases. School libraries are most popular, the national library is most popular with older teenagers and students. Girls read more and use libraries more often to study, while boys are more likely to borrow comics.

Almost half of teenagers are involved in creative activities and 70 per cent in sports. Girls are more likely to paint, sing, dance and cook. Boys prefer video games, sports and collecting. Interest in creative activities declines markedly with age.

Musical preferences also differ: pop and pop music is the choice of girls, urban (hip-hop, rap) - of boys. Every third teenager can play musical instruments, but more often they come from socially advantaged families.

Gender segregation prevails in sports: girls prefer dancing, gymnastics and horse riding, while boys prefer football, cycling and martial arts.

Cinema remains the main cultural activity - it is visited by 83% of respondents. Then come libraries, museums, parks, historical monuments and fairs. Theatres, exhibitions, concerts and festivals are less frequent, but with a clear gender bias: girls more often participate in cultural life, except for sports events, where boys are the leaders.

At the same time, access to culture clearly depends on the level of parents' education. Children from well-off families are twice as likely to visit museums, galleries and concerts. The level of participation in culture among "privileged" children is significantly higher in all categories: from reading to art classes.