2026 findings
Explore key findings from the latest Australian Youth Digital Index research.
Index scores
Change since 2025: +1
The Access score is based on the digital devices young people use and how much they can use these digital devices when they need to.
The overall Access score for young people in Australia is 78, up 1 point since 2024. The increase reflects improved independent access to technology, with more young people able to use devices whenever they need them and higher smartphone use across Australia.
Change since 2025: -3
The Connectivity score measures how young people connect online (i.e. broadband or mobile data) and how much this is inhibited by limits, speed or quality of connection.
The overall Connectivity score for young Australians is 63, down 3 points since 2024. While access to internet services remains high, increasing limits on internet and mobile data allowances are creating new barriers to digital participation for some young people.
Change since 2025: -1
The Skills score measures how well young people can complete digital tasks for school or work, and how they learnt digital skills.
The overall Skills score for young people in Australia is 69, unchanged from 2024 but a one point decrease from 2025. While digital skills remain strong overall, the 2026 findings show significant growth in young people’s confidence using AI and greater engagement with learning how to use generative AI.
Change since 2025: +1
The Safety score is based on young people’s own rating of how safe they feel online, whether they are aware of various online risks, and how they learnt online safety.
The overall Safety score for young people in Australia is 81, up 3 points since 2024. Awareness of online safety risks continues to improve, although the findings highlight that understanding online safety does not always translate into confidence managing risks in practice.
Change since 2025: +1
The Wellbeing score covers how young people feel about different aspects of their life in general and the impact they say being online has on their life.
The overall Wellbeing score for young Australians is 51, up from 2025 but still 1 point lower than in 2024. The findings suggest a mixed picture, with more young people reporting positive impacts of being online and seeking support online, while some aspects of social connection and online experiences have declined.
Key Findings
Smartphone use at home 88%
Smartphones remain the most commonly used device at home, with usage increasing to 88% in 2026 from 85% in 2025. Young people are also more likely to be able to use the devices they have access to whenever they need them, with independent access improving across a range of device types. Laptop use remains high at 70%, while fewer young people report not having devices because they do not need them, highlighting the growing importance of digital technology in everyday life. Device access increases significantly with age, with 95% of 14–17 year olds and 97% of 18–25 year olds using a smartphone at home, compared with 71% of 8–13 year olds. Younger children’s access continues to be shaped by parental decisions about device ownership and use, with parental limits on device use reported by 76% of 8–13 year olds. Regional and remote young people and those experiencing financial pressure continue to face greater barriers to accessing and using devices.
Access to mobile data 72%
Internet access remains high, but the way young people connect is changing. Mobile data access increased to 72% in 2026, while the proportion who use mobile data most frequently rose to 25%, up from 16% in 2024. At the same time, access to Wi-Fi remains high at 93%, although lower than 96% in 2024. While most young people report good-quality home internet (84%) and mobile data connections (83%), increasing numbers are experiencing barriers due to internet allowances (28%) and mobile data allowances (30%), highlighting the growing impact of connectivity costs.
Digital skills are self-taught 83%
Most young people continue to learn digital skills independently, with 83% reporting they learn by themselves. Around two-thirds (67%) learn from someone they know, while 51% learn from the internet and 46% through school or training. However, compared with 2025, fewer young people report learning digital skills through school (46%, down from 52%) or from someone they know (67%, down from 72%). Despite this, young people continue to report strong confidence across a wide range of digital tasks for work, study and everyday life.
Using AI is easy 62%
Use of artificial intelligence continues to grow among young Australians. In 2026, 62% said it was easy to use AI for everyday tasks such as study or work, up from 56% in 2025 and 46% in 2024. More than half (56%) have been taught how to use generative AI, up from 47% in 2025, while 67% have taught themselves how to use it, compared with 58% in 2025. Young people are also becoming more discerning users of AI, with 72% checking the accuracy of AI-generated information at least sometimes, up from 61% in 2025.
Digital skills are essential for future careers 78%
Young people recognise the growing importance of digital skills in the future workforce. Nearly four in five (78%) agree digital skills are essential for their future career, while 64% would like a career that uses advanced digital skills, up from 57% in 2024. Young people living in major cities are more likely than those in regional and remote areas to aspire to careers using advanced digital skills (66% compared with 57%). Regional and remote young people are also less likely to have been taught how to use generative AI and less likely to report using AI confidently.
Feel safe online 90%
Understanding of online safety remains high, with 96% of young people saying they understand what online safety means and 90% reporting they feel safe online. Awareness increased across eight of the nine online safety risks measured in 2026. However, awareness does not always translate into confidence. While 94% know passwords and personal information should be protected, only 70% find it easy to keep information secure. Similarly, 87% understand how privacy settings can protect their personal information, but only 63% find those settings easy to use. Around three-quarters of young people (73%) have encountered at least one form of unsafe online content.
Happy with time spent online 69%
Young people remain broadly positive about the amount of time they spend online, with 69% saying they are happy with it and fewer reporting they are unhappy than in 2025 (26%, down from 29%). Most young people spend between three and six hours online on a typical weekday (46%) and weekend day (49%). The 2026 findings also show growing positive perceptions of the impact of being online, with more young people reporting positive impacts on family relationships (47%, up from 42% in 2025), mental health (40%, up from 36%), physical health (37%, up from 31%) and sleep (31%, up from 24%). Seeking advice online also increased across a range of topics, reflecting the growing role digital spaces play in young people’s lives.
