ICT Education 2025 shows that 8 out of 10 Brazilian schools discuss the impact of screen use on students' mental health

Discussion on the topic in educational institutions grew by 18 percentage points in one year; the survey also points out that low family participation and lack of educational support resources limit digital and media education initiatives

SÃO PAULO, August 4, 2026 – Discussion about the impacts of digital technologies on students' mental health is already part of the agenda of eight out of ten Brazilian schools. This is what the new edition of the ICT Education Survey reveals, conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), an entity linked to the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br). According to the survey released today, the proportion of public and private elementary and high schools discussing the topic in 2025 increased by 18 percentage points compared to 2024, rising from 62% to 80%.

The survey shows that debates on issues related to the effects of digital technologies on students' development and the critical adoption of these resources are more present in schools across the country. In 2025, 75% of administrators met with parents and guardians to address the use of digital technologies in the school environment, compared to 60% the previous year. Additionally, 86% spoke with teachers and other professionals of the institution on the same subject – in 2024, the proportion was 68%.

Other topics that have gained more space in meeting agendas include the safe, critical, and responsible use of digital technologies (from 56% in 2024 to 75% in 2025) and the inclusion of media education in the school curriculum (from 46% to 67%).

Practical actions

Although the debate on the use and impacts of technologies has advanced in schools, the implementation of digital, media, and digital citizenship education initiatives still faces challenges. The study indicates that 65% of educational institutions develop some action directed at students in this area. The presence of these actions, however, is unequal, occurring more prevalently in urban schools (72%) and among those that provide computers and Internet access for students' educational activities (75%).

Among those with such initiatives, 75% of administrators point to low family and guardian participation as one of the main obstacles, followed by a lack of educational materials and support resources (64%). Among those that do not carry out such activities, the main difficulty is precisely the lack of materials and support resources (77%), followed by low family participation (66%) and insufficient quality of the school's computers and Internet access (65%).

"The intensification of the debate on the impacts of digital technologies in the school environment reflects an important social and educational mobilization, driven by the discussions that resulted in the approval of the Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents, the Digital ECA, and the adoption of new rules aimed at guaranteeing rights in the digital environment," says Alexandre Barbosa, Cetic.br manager. "This entire context contributes to expanding the debate in schools, which establishes themselves as essential spaces for the promotion and guarantee of children's and adolescents' rights."

Use of mobile phones

The survey results align with the regulatory scenario established by Law No. 15,100/2025 and Resolution No. 2/2025 of the National Education Council (CNE), which address the restriction of personal mobile device use by students and the provision of digital and media education in schools. According to the study, 51% of administrators state that students cannot bring their personal mobile phones to the school environment. This stance varies according to the institution's profile, being more restrictive in those with classes up to the early years (69%) than in those with high school (31%).

In 40% of schools, students are allowed to bring personal phones, but storage rules vary between institutions. In 24%, devices must be stored in pockets or individual accessories, such as a backpack or case, and in 16%, in places provided by the schools, such as boxes, lockers, or other spaces (16%).

Among schools that allow students to bring phones to the institution, 66% permit the use of personal phones in pedagogical activities, a proportion that increases in contexts facing greater connectivity and computer access barriers: pedagogical use of the device rises to 76% in the North region, 76% in the Northeast, and 75% in rural areas.

"The data highlights the need for careful attention to structural inequalities, which can pose challenges to ensuring greater equity in the provision of digital education, as prescribed by important regulations, such as the National Education Plan," notes Daniela Costa, coordinator of the ICT Education Survey. "The integration between schools and families is another essential aspect for the dissemination of digital education. For schools to effectively support families, they need adequate support and structured public policies."

Direct communication between educational institutions and families about technology still shows room for improvement according to the results of the sixteenth edition of the survey. In 49% of schools, guardians sought direction or pedagogical professionals for guidance on how to mediate the digital consumption of children and adolescents. On the other hand, 48% of schools offered lectures with specialists in well-being and mental health for families, and 46% distributed guides and orientation materials on healthy habits for using digital resources.

Adoption of generative AI by administrators

For the first time, the ICT Education Survey mapped the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools by school administrators. The survey indicates that 53% of them already use AI in pedagogical, administrative, or financial management activities. The main purposes include creating visual or communication content (83%), drafting invitations and announcements (80%), and translating, reviewing, or summarizing texts (71%).

In 37% of schools, the use of AI by students in educational tasks is permitted — a proportion that reaches 47% in the state network and 52% in those with classes up to high school. Despite the dissemination of AI use in pedagogical, administrative, or financial management activities, only 22% of administrators reported that the school had a guide of guidelines on using these resources in teaching, learning, or management (19% among municipal schools, 25% among state schools, and 25% among private schools).

"Building a comprehensive and secure digital education is a strategic challenge for the country that needs to be shared among different social actors. Schools play an important and growing role, as do families and the State. We need to improve public policies and establish rules for the operation of digital platforms. Regulation and public policies are crucial elements for protecting children and young people, as indicated by the Digital ECA," highlights Renata Mielli, CGI.br coordinator. "Families and educators need support to understand the complexity of intangible topics, such as how algorithms and Artificial Intelligence systems work, so that we can collectively protect children and adolescents against risks and abuses in the virtual environment."

About the survey

Conducted since 2010 by Cetic.br | NIC.br, the ICT Education Survey investigates the access, use, and appropriation of information and communication technologies (ICT) by students, teachers, pedagogical coordinators, and administrators of elementary and high schools in teaching, learning, and educational management activities.

Since 2020, the survey adopts an expanded sample, allowing the production of data about schools located in rural and urban areas in a unified manner. According to the survey's sampling design, in editions conducted in even years, data is collected in-person through interviews with students, teachers, pedagogical coordinators, and school administrators, and in editions conducted in odd years, only school administrators are interviewed through a telephone approach.

The 2025 edition of the ICT Education Survey – 16th edition – was conducted between August 2025 and April 2026 in 2,404 public (municipal, state, and federal) and private elementary and high schools located in urban and rural areas, with national coverage. Data collection was carried out with school administrators through computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).

The results of the ICT Education Survey, including proportion, total, and error margin tables, are available on the website https://cetic.br/en/survey/education/.

To access the presentation of the main results of the survey, visit: https://cetic.br/en/survey/education/analyses/. 

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), from NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on Internet access and use in Brazil, regularly providing analyses and information on network development in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Center of Studies under the auspices of UNESCO, completing 20 years of operation in 2025. More information at https://cetic.br/. 

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity responsible for operating the .br domain, as well as distributing IP numbers and registering Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br since 2005, with all funds raised coming from its essentially private activities. It conducts actions and projects that bring benefits to Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes: Registro.br (https://registro.br), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br), as well as projects such as Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br) and the Good Practices Portal for Internet in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the office of the W3C São Paulo Chapter (https://w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, praised internationally, where all sectors of society participate equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/.  

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