Between 2023 and 2025, Fundación Photographic Social Vision has carried out a pioneering study on how adolescents relate to images in a media-saturated society. With the participation of almost 2,000 young people aged between 12 and 19, the study analyses how adolescents produce, consume and interpret images in the digital age, and how gender, geographical and socio-economic factors influence their visual acuity.

The findings offer a unique insight into adolescents’ relationship with images and the study provides a clear assessment of the shortcomings, needs and risks associated with low visual maturity, with significant educational and cultural implications. Based on these conclusions, the next step will be to research and design specific actions and educational resources to enable visual learning to be incorporated in the statutory educational curriculum. The study was supported by the University of Barcelona’s ERC project ‘Visual Trust’.