Safer Internet Day is a once a year campaign which is used to throw a spotlight on the internet and how it children and teenagers are using it. This year they compiled information about the digital lives of young people which can help us know how best to keep them safe online.
Have a look below at their finding:
Below you can read part of their overall report.
1,500 young people aged 8-17 years old took part in our online survey conducted by ResearchBods. The research looked at the power of images in young people’s lives and the influence this can have on their self-esteem, behaviour and emotions.
Sharing images online
The research looked at how many of the young people had shared a photo in the last hour. The research showed that 1 in 6 had shared a photo online in the last hour, and 1 in 8 had shared a selfie in the last day.
The research also explored the influence that selfies had on self-esteem. The research found that 43% of those asked worry about how attractive they look when they share images online. It also found that 45% of 8-17 year olds had used a filter on a photo in the last year to make themselves look more attractive.
Negative comments
Interestingly, the research also showed that 70% of 8-17s said they have seen images and videos not suitable for their age in the last year and that almost 2 in 5 (38%) have received negative comments on a photo they have posted. This was shown to have had a real impact on young people’s behaviour online, as 2 in 5 (40%) said that they sometimes don’t post images because of concerns about receiving mean comments. It is encouraging however that 80% said they have received positive comments on a photo they posted.
If you would like to view more of the Safe Internet Day finding them please click here to read further. These key statistics are fascinating and one of the most interesting things which we need to address is the impact of digital culture on the self esteem of young people. For more details please visit the UK Safer Internet Centre website.
If you are concerned about a young person in your life then here is a simple video which might be a good conversation starter.
Click here to see more advice about staying safe on the internet from Ballymena Today.
