More than half of young people in Malta have encountered hostile or degrading messages online, according to new figures published by Eurostat.The data reveals that 55.9% of internet users aged 16 to 29 in Malta came across such content in 2025, placing the country slightly above the European Union average of 54.2%.Malta also recorded the 10th-highest percentage among the 22 EU countries included in the chart, highlighting how widespread exposure to hostile online content has become.Ireland topped the rankings, with a staggering 78% of young people reporting exposure, followed closely by Finland at 76.6% and France at 64.6%.At the other end of the scale, Greece recorded the lowest figure at 33.2%, followed by Bulgaria at 35.8% and Latvia at 36.1%.The figures cover young people who had used the internet during the previous three months and measure whether they encountered hostile or degrading messages online.Importantly, the statistics measure exposure to such content, not necessarily whether young people were personally targeted by online abuse.What do you make of these findings?•