23 June 2025
Bilbao Campus
By the age of seven, boys are exposed to violent and competitive content through video games, while girls encounter contexts that hypersexualise their image. At this same age, they are exposed to pornographic content without seeking it. Bullying remains a problem that requires ongoing attention. Within family dynamics, digital roles tend to differ, and a climate of fear often leads to overly controlling practices. And in schools, teachers feel a significant lack of support and guidance in facing these challenges.
These are some of the findings from the research study CyberResistance Ante la tercera brecha digital de género y ciberviolencias en la infancia: coeducación, oportunidades y resistencias” — a study presented by the University of Deusto on Monday 23 June, as part of the CyberResistance conference, which focused on gender-based cyberviolence and the digital risks affecting children. The event aimed, on the one hand, to train primary school teachers on gender bias in the digital environment of children, and on the other, to create a space for proposing strategies to prevent and address gender-based cyberviolence.
The research presented, led by the Deusto Social Values research team under the direction of Estíbaliz Linares and in collaboration with the Canary Islands-based consultancy Opcionate–Mejora Tu Vida, describes the digital reality of children aged 5 to 12 in the Basque Country and the Canary Islands. It also explores their family and school dynamics, identifying risks from a gender and intersectional perspective The project is funded through the 2022 RETOS call – Knowledge Generation Projects of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The study, which began in September 2023, involved 9 schools in the Basque Country (5 public, 3 subsidised and 1 private), with 82 primary school teachers, 49 parents and 221 children; and in the Canary Islands, 4 schools (1 public and 3 subsidised), 38 primary school teachers, 23 parents and 48 children. In addition, training workshops were held with 60 families and 55 children in year 4 of primary school.
Contradictions in relation to the adult world
Among the most significant findings is that children generally follow cybersecurity guidelines, and in most cases, parental controls are activated. They also understand how to protect themselves online. However, in families where setting boundaries is problematic or where family structures are unstable, children often have unrestricted access to digital devices and are exposed to violent, sexist, and misogynistic content. Children are the ones who most frequently access this type of content and share it with the rest of the class.
This highlights the existence of gender biases among minors, both in what they use and what they watch. While boys are especially engaged with video games, girls tend to use platforms for musical and artistic expression and access more content related to beauty. Moreover, although only older children (aged 11–12) typically have their own mobile phones—and specifically in the Basque Country there is a clear trend towards raising this age—from a very young age, boys and girls experience this digital world with significant contradictions. They observe that the adult world around them is deeply digitalised…, and sometimes it is their own role models who expose them to such content.
Regarding access to pornography, the data show that children as young as seven report having seen images in which the female body is completely objectified. In this respect, the reactions of girls and boys differ significantly. While girls reject this content, boys—if it has been shown to them by classmates or older cousins—often laugh. The objectification of the female body remains an endorsement of masculinity.
Regarding gender-based cyberviolence, the research confirms that not having direct access to a mobile phone significantly reduces cyber-aggressions. However, this does not mean that aggressions do not exist. One of the study’s most significant findings is that attention must continue to be paid to bullying—whether it occurs in playgrounds, during class dismissals, or in laughter within the classroom.
Although, compared to previous generations, there is an increasingly critical discourse—which confirms the effectiveness of awareness campaigns and prevention efforts—gender biases and violence still persist and need to be addressed. In fact, online forms of aggression mirror offline ones.
Speeches of fear and terror
In households, research has found that they are increasingly aware of the risks and are implementing different strategies, often on a trial-and-error basis. Gender roles are still present in their family dynamics, and digital education practices have been identified: fathers play more video games, and mothers engage in digital care and responsibility.
But there is an important discourse of terror and fear, which leads them to use excessive control practices, for example through smart watches. It is important not to view all families through a normative lens, as there are very particular circumstances that mean the monitoring and supervision of device use are not always implemented as intended. Still, a closer look at what adults do is required.
Teachers report that they require greater personal resources to support diversity and mental health…. They feel burdened by challenges that are too structural to be fully addressed through education alone. They consider it important to build an educational community involving various stakeholders: families, teachers, students, social services, and the health system.
Each school has its own reality regarding technology, and there are significant initiatives in the Basque Country—such as Altxaburua—which, together with the school, help delay early access to the digital world. They also believe it is necessary to talk more about the violent content their students see and access. Finally, they acknowledge that significant gender biases—and biases related to sexuality—still exist and need to be addressed.
For all these reasons, the study concludes that progress has been made and strategies of resistance have emerged; however, training and awareness-raising must continue to be developed with responsibility and quality. This should be done without resorting to fearmongering or alarmist rhetoric, as there is hope evident in their words and actions. Additionally, it is necessary to coordinate mental health and social services that support school environments.
