Play your part for a better internet: Research

For Safer Internet Day 2016, 1,512 young people aged 13-18 years took part in an online survey conducted by ResearchBods to explore young people’s attitudes, experiences and responses to positives and negatives online, particularly exploring the role of the internet in facilitating rights and promoting empowerment, while also potentially facilitating online hate.

Creating a Better Internet for All

The findings demonstrate both the positive and negative side of the internet, and the role that young people are playing in helping to create a kinder and more inclusive internet.

Young people want to see a kind and inclusive internet – and they are playing their part to help create that

The majority of young people (94%) said that they believe no one should be targeted with online hate because of their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

An estimated 2.1 million young people have taken positive action online in the last year to show support for
targeted groups, with liking or sharing a positive post or page and changing their profile picture being the most
popular forms of positive online action.

The role of the internet in promoting rights – but also facilitating hate

Young people recognise the positive ways the internet can help us to grow understanding and respect, with around 3 in 4 saying that the internet helps them understand different people’s views and beliefs (76%). However, the majority (86%) also felt that the internet makes it easy for people to be mean.

35%

of young people aged 13-18 said they had seen their friends posting offensive, mean or threatening things online about people of a certain group.

9 in 10

young people aged 13-18 said they had seen their friends posting offensive, mean or threatening things online about people of a certain group.

82%

of young people aged 13-18 say that they have seen or heard something hateful on the internet, compared to 77% at school, 69% in other media
and 54% face-to-face in other places.