The digital wellbeing of children in Romania

A programme run by Save the Children and the Vodafone Foundation has provided digital education to more than 21,000 pupils in Romania.

Ion Puican, 21.10.2026, 13:00

Many children in Romania feel they do not have enough time to spend with their families, get enough rest or enjoy outdoor activities. How much time does a child have left for themselves once the school day is over? This is the question behind a survey conducted by Save the Children Romania among nearly 1,500 children aged between 9 and 16. The survey paints a picture of a generation caught between school demands and the lure of screens. The conclusion is simple: one in three children would simply like to spend more time with their families and more hours outdoors. Nearly half say they need more sleep.

Children spend around eight hours a day at school and doing homework, while for four in ten children, the figure rises to ten hours a day. On top of that, there are private tutoring sessions: almost half of the children attend extra lessons, with the proportion approaching 60% in Bucharest and other major cities. Against this backdrop, free time is shrinking dramatically. Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President of Save the Children Romania, tells us what a typical day in the life of a school-age child looks like and explains the findings of the survey.

Gabriela Alexandrescu: “Our survey shows that, most commonly, a typical day during the school year looks something like this for children: they spend five to six hours at school and less than an hour travelling to and from school. They devote one to two hours to homework and studying. They spend three to four hours browsing the internet, interacting with friends or playing online, and one to two hours at most interacting directly and socialising with their families. In other words, in the most common scenario, a child spends around eight hours a day at school and preparing for lessons, but for four in ten children, the time devoted to school and homework amounts to ten hours a day. If we look specifically at the time spent interacting with family, we find that almost half of the children devote no more than two hours to it. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that one in three children would like more time to socialise with their families. Our survey also shows that nearly three in five children say they decide for themselves how to spend their free time, while another 30% say the decision is made jointly with their parents. As expected, parental involvement in decisions about how children spend their free time decreases with age, from 82% among primary school pupils to 22% among secondary school students.”

What are the main effects of excessive schoolwork, homework and private tutoring on children’s emotional and psychological wellbeing? Gabriela Alexandrescu explains: “Children tell us they feel tired. In fact, when asked which activities they would like to have more time for, almost one in two children say they would like to spend more time sleeping. This excessive workload also affects children’s emotional wellbeing. A quarter of children frequently feel sad, while a third say they rarely or very rarely feel enthusiastic. Anxiety is the most widespread mental health disorder among children. Other issues include emotional disorders and difficulties within the family. Many children, for example, go through their parents’ divorce. Learning disorders, screen addiction and even substance abuse and suicide attempts are also among the problems they face.”

Three quarters of children spend fewer than five hours a week outdoors — less than an hour a day — while 13% do not go outside at all. Screens are taking up an ever-greater share of their time: 62% of children spend at least three hours a day online, and a quarter spend more than six hours. And the older children get, the more time they spend on the internet. What are parents doing about this? Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President of Save the Children Romania, explains: “Only one in ten parents limit the time their children spend online through an app. Another 25% told us they impose limits verbally. For nearly eight in ten children over the age of 12, parents do not restrict access to websites in any way. Almost a quarter of children also told us they use apps to hide their online activity, so that their parents will not realise that, instead of reading or studying, they are on the computer.”

A third of children do not read anything beyond the school curriculum, while a third do no sport at all in a typical week. How can this trend be reversed? Gabriela Alexandrescu: “When it comes to reading, our survey set out to assess reading for pleasure. We found that 30% of children devote no time at all to reading outside the school curriculum, while those who do mostly spend fewer than two hours a week on it. As for outdoor activities, our survey found that 75% of children spend fewer than five hours a week outdoors — an average of less than an hour a day.”

Are there significant differences between children in major cities and those in rural areas in terms of academic pressure and free time? Gabriela Alexandrescu explains: “Save the Children’s research highlighted several differences between children in rural areas and those in major cities. The amount of time devoted to homework varies. While four in ten pupils in Bucharest and other major cities spend more than three hours a day on homework, only a third of pupils in rural areas find themselves in this situation.”

Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President of Save the Children Romania, outlines the measures proposed by the organisation. Gabriela Alexandrescu: “I believe it is very important to look carefully at the measures proposed directly by children. First, they want time for rest, hobbies and personal development. They want a more balanced school timetable. Second, they want help spending less time in front of screens and more time engaging in real-life activities. In other words, they want to have alternatives. Third, they want access to psychological counselling. As for their right to protection and online safety, children told us they need modern digital education programmes and for online safety to be treated as a national priority. They also need clear information about the effects of excessive phone use, both for children and for parents.”

The Save the Children survey does not seek to assign blame. Instead, it raises a question we should all be asking ourselves — parents, teachers and the wider community alike: how can we give children and teenagers back the space they need to enjoy their childhood, play and spend time together? (EE)