News | Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society

July 2026

Researchers from Masaryk University: A blanket ban on children's access to social media is not an effective solution

Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society (IRTIS) at Masaryk University’s Faculty of Social Studies (FSS MU), together with experts from the Institute for Research and Education in Digital Technologies and Cybersecurity at Palacký University in Olomouc, have published an expert opinion on proposals for a blanket ban on social media for children under the age of 15 or 16. The document responds to the current public debate and offers a perspective based on the latest scientific findings across psychology, education, media studies, the prevention of risky behavior, and child safety in online environments.

11 Jun

Report: Czech children and adolescents on the internet: Results of the EU Kids Online V survey

A new research report that presents the key findings of the EU Kids Online V (EUKO V) project in the Czech Republic has been published. The project examined the online activities of children and adolescents and the risks they may encounter in the online environment. The findings are based on a representative survey conducted in May and June 2025 among children and adolescents attending schools in the Czech Republic. The report includes data from 2,567 Czech children and adolescents aged 9–17.

8 Jun

Appointment of Hana Macháčková as Professor

Hana Macháčková, Head of IRTIS, has reached an important milestone in her academic career and has been appointed Professor. Her research focuses on digital technologies and their role in the everyday lives of young people. We warmly congratulate Hana on this achievement and wish her continued success in her academic and research endeavors.

11 May

Finding Common Ground: Exploring Technology and Communication at AFO 61

The 61st edition of the Academia Film Olomouc (AFO 61) international festival centered on the theme of "Common Ground". Our colleagues, Ainize Martínez Soto and Vojtěch Mýlek, contributed to this interdisciplinary discourse through a series of lectures and panel discussions. Their sessions examined the intersection of digital technology, immersive media, and the evolving methodologies of science communication.

17 Apr

Lenka Dědková Appointed Associate Professor

Our colleague and IRTIS vice-head, Lenka Dědková, has successfully completed her habilitation and has been appointed Associate Professor. In her work, she focuses on the topic of parenting practises in the digital era. Congratulations to Lenka on this great achievement!

6 Mar

Is screen time associated with later bedtimes and daytime sleepiness in adolescents?

A recent report from HBSC Healthy Generation points to increasingly late bedtimes as a key reason why Czech adolescents are getting less sleep today, and why a growing number of them are falling short of sleep recommendations. This lack of sleep is the main cause of daytime sleepiness. Research consistently links daytime sleepiness to a range of negative effects, including worsened school grades, mental health struggles, and a lower quality of life. In our newly published study, we explored how bedtimes and daytime sleepiness are associated with the amount of time spent on screens during the day. We were also interested in whether avoiding screens for an hour before bed makes a difference. We found an association between screen time and sleep. However, the study provided no evidence that the popular sleep recommendation to avoid screens an hour before sleep is effective in the long term.

20 Feb

Report: A Ban on Mobile Phones in Schools Is Not a Universal Solution

Banning mobile phones in schools does not straightforwardly lead to better academic performance of students. An analysis of data from 21 countries, including the Czech Republic, conducted by the IRTIS research team at the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University, shows that although phone bans are associated with lower levels of student distraction, in several countries they are also linked to greater classroom disruption during lessons, which in turn is reflected in poorer student performance in mathematics.

10 Feb

Report: Generative artificial intelligence through the eyes of Czech children and adolescents

Czech children and adolescents use generative artificial intelligence (AI) most frequently for school-related tasks, particularly for writing essays or reports (42%), and for summarising or explaining longer texts (39%). Everyday use is also common, with approximately one-third of Czech children and adolescents using generative AI to get recommendations. They ask AI what to do, watch, listen to, or what to buy (29.5%). These findings are part of the research report published today on Safer Internet Day by experts from the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University. The results are based on over 2,600 responses from children and adolescents aged 9–17.

9 Feb

Experts Don't Recommend Banning Social Media Until Age 15: Its Impacts Remain Unclear, and It Could Introduce Additional Risks

This year, Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under the age of 16. Many European countries, including the Czech Republic, are also considering bans for certain age groups. Proponents of the bans argue that doing so is in the interest of children's health and healthy development. However, according to researchers from the Interdisciplinary Research of Internet and Society (IRTIS) at Masaryk University and world experts from prestigious universities, hastily conceived bans on technology use affecting the 13- to 15-year-old (or 16-year-old) age group are ineffective and potentially harmful.

21 Jan

Report: Half of young Czechs engage in sexting

Sexting has become a common part of the digital lives of Czech adults. More than one-third of the adult population have sent videos, photos, or text messages with sexual content, and among 18–29-year-olds, this figure reaches nearly one half. It is therefore not a marginal phenomenon but a regular aspect of intimate relationships in the digital age - one that will likely become even more widespread as younger generations grow older. These findings come from a report by the research team IRTIS at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, based on three surveys conducted in the Czech Republic. Notably, sexting is also linked to negative experiences, with men reporting higher levels of sexual coercion than expected.

12 Jan

Why adolescents do not confide in their parents about online sexual solicitations?

In a recently published study, we looked at adolescents receiving online sexual solicitations. Despite the fact that receiving these messages often upsets them, many choose not to confide in their parents, thus losing a potential source of support. We investigated adolescents’ experiences with online sexual solicitations and the barriers that prevent them from confiding in their parents. The study was authored by Barbora Lisztwan Honusová, Lenka Dědková and Vojtěch Mýlek from IRTIS and published in Children and Youth Services Review.

15 Dec 2025

Workshop on Aggression in Brno

On November 26-28, we were honoured to host and organise the 29th Workshop on Agression for the very first time in the Czech Republic. We were thrilled to welcome participants from all over the world to Brno.

December 2025

Seminar Digital Media, Mental Health & Youth Wellbeing

How do digital technologies impact the wellbeing of young people today? What role do youth workers, parents, and educators play in supporting healthier digital habits? In this episode of Voices of Change, we welcome David Šmahel, professor at Masaryk University, who has spent over 20 years researching how the internet affects children and adolescents. His work bridges psychology, media studies, and youth development offering research-based insights that are both profound and practical.

2 Dec 2025

Cyberspace Conference 2025

On November 28–29, the annual Cyberspace conference took place, focusing on the legal, social, and psychosocial dimensions of online environments. The keynote lecture on sexting and digital intimacy was delivered by Joris Van Ouytsel, Associate Professor at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. The conference also featured presentations by Ainize Martínez-Soto and Jaroslav Sýkora from IRTIS.

November 2025

Research Workshop: Discussion on (Digital) Well-Being Interventions

How much do smartphones interfere with our everyday lives? Is it even possible to disconnect from the digital world? And what strategies do we need to achieve that? Cynthia Dekker, a researcher from the prestigious University of Amsterdam, came to Brno to discuss these and other questions.

October 2025

Lenka Dědková among Forbes Top Women in Science 2025

How much time do children spend on their phones, and what do parents know about their online social lives? This question is among the key topics researched by Lenka Dědková, who has been included in this year’s Forbes Top Women in Science 2025 list.