Young people, hatred and online scams are growing but bullying is decreasing
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Episodes of hate (+10%) and scams (7%) on the net are increasing, while cyberbullying continues to decline in Italy. This is what emerges from the survey conducted by the Scientific Observatory of the non-profit “Digital Ethical Movement, on the occasion of the Safer Internet day. Furthermore, two out of three children aged between 12 and 16 declare that they have no family rules regarding the use of social networks and as many as 26% (+5% compared to last year) declare that they are always connected.
Nearly one in four kids involved in cyberbullying
According to the survey, which reached over 20,000 students and 8,000 parents in 2022, left alone face to face with the web, young people will certainly find a prairie to discover, but also a free territory where especially the younger ones, if not supervised are most exposed to dangers. In fact, around 19% of the sample had negative experiences online, since it differs slightly from the 20% of the previous year. Among those that are defined as unpleasant episodes there is always the presence of cyberbullying which continues to affect 23% of adolescents, even if from the surveys of recent years the phenomenon appears to be steadily decreasing (-7% compared to the previous year and -12% if compared with 2021). This, according to the Digital Ethical Movement, is a positive sign that prevention in schools has been, and continues to be, fundamental.
On the other hand, the figure relating to the rampant issue of insults and attacks by haters is growing, affecting almost 2 out of 3 young people, a confirmation of the fact that the web can become an environment without rules where insults and outbursts are very common . Equally worrying are the data relating to solicitation and the dissemination of private material for the purpose of revenge (revenge porn) which involved 5% and 10% of the interviewees respectively. Finally, episodes related to scams (+7%) and cyber attacks against young people (+12%) are on the increase
«The data confirms how the web is experienced by many as a sort of “far west”,
where everyone can vent or insult – explains Davide Dal Maso, founder of the non-profit and member of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition of the European Commission – Being aware that this modality can also derive from imitation of family models who act the same behaviors – just look at the comments of many adults on Facebook – or who are fragile in regulating these aspects, we are convinced that the only strategy is to raise awareness among young people by increasingly aiming to offer them room for growth both in terms of emotional and digital education”.
Few rules compared to social networks and the web
Two out of three boys belonging to the age group between 12 and 16 declare
that there are no rules in the family regarding the use of social networks and as many as 26% (+5%
compared to last year) claims to be always online. 40% have no time constraints and surf more than 4 hours a day, or more than 2 months a year on the phone. One in 10 children surfs even at night without any supervision or regulation from a parent. «Several testimonies brought by students describe parents as “bad educational models”: they are the first to abuse smartphones and social media – comments Gregorio Ceccone, the contact person of the Scientific Observatory on Digital Education. – We parents need to be aware of our excessive smartphone use and work on ourselves to change these habits and act as good role models for our children. Only in this way will we be able to provide positive guidance and support our children in the balanced and responsible use of technology.”
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