Introduction: In the European understanding of smart cities, digital transformation is not limited to isolated ICT solutions but is expected to support integrated and sustainable urban development across mobility, energy, and public services. However, in smaller settlements, smart-city interventions may remain less visible to young residents, which can weaken civic awareness, trust in local innovation, and place-based learning. This study examines whether settlement size and local connectivity shape youth perceptions that their hometown has no smart-city features.

Methods: We analysed survey responses from Slovak secondary-school students and linked them with municipal population data and self-rated local internet quality. Logistic regression was used to test whether settlement size and municipal connectivity predict the perceived absence of smart-city elements.

Results: Students from smaller municipalities were more likely to perceive their hometown as lacking smart-city features, while this perception was less common in larger urban settlements. Better-rated local internet quality was also associated with a lower likelihood of reporting an absence of smart-city elements. Overall, the findings suggest that the visibility of smart initiatives is shaped not only by territorial scale, but also by the everyday quality of local digital connectivity.

Conclusions: The study points to a smart-city visibility gap across settlement sizes in Slovakia. From a European perspective, smart development should combine digital infrastructure with citizen-oriented, visible, and practically experienced services. Smaller municipalities may therefore benefit from the clearer communication of existing initiatives, more visible pilot actions, and school-linked participation activities that help reduce territorial inequalities in smart-city awareness.