ISSUES
: The Internet of Things
Chapter 1: Digital issues
8
One in four teenagers are being trolled
and abused online
One in four teenagers were subjected to abuse online in the last year, a major report
has revealed.
By Lucy Sherriff
A
survey of 13- to 18-year-olds
found 24% reported they
were targeted on the Internet
because of their gender, sexual
orientation, race, religion, disability
or transgender identity.
One in 25 said they are singled out
for abuse “all or most of the time”.
The alarming findings emerged in
a study published to mark Safer
Internet Day.
It revealed that more than four in
five (82%) youngsters have seen or
heard “online hate” in the previous
12 months, with 41% suggesting it
had become more rife.
Researchers defined online hate
as behaviour targeting people or
communities via the Internet because
of their gender, transgender identity,
sexual orientation, disability, race,
ethnicity, nationality or religion.
It could be offensive, mean or
threatening, and either targeted
directly at a person or group, or
generally shared online. In its most
extreme form it can break the law
and become a hate crime.
Social media platforms were the
most common domains in which
youngsters witnessed hate on the
Internet, according to the report.
It said youngsters with disabilities
and those from black, Asian, Middle
Eastern or other minority ethnic
communities were more likely to
see online hate.
The survey of more than 1,500
teenagers also found 93% of
respondents have seen their friends
posting supportive, kind or positive
content about a certain group in the
last year.
Will Gardner, chief executive of the
charity Childnet and director of the
UK Safer Internet Centre, which
published the study, said: “While it
is encouraging to see that almost all
young people believe no one should
be targeted with online hate, and
heartening to hear about the ways
young people are using technology
to take positive action online to
empower each other and spread
kindness, we were surprised and
concerned to see that so many had
been exposed to online hate in the
last year.
“It is a wake-up call for all of us
to play our part in helping create
a better Internet for all, to ensure
that everyone can benefit from
the opportunities that technology
provides for building mutual respect
and dialogue, facilitating rights,
and empowering everyone to be
able to express themselves and be
themselves online – whoever they
are.”
Peter Wanless, chief executive
of the NSPCC, said the Internet
industry has a duty to keep young
people safe.
“Socialising online is central to
children and young people’s lives
today, so it’s very worrying that so
many are witnessing or experiencing
online hate,” he said.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan
said: “The Internet is a powerful tool
which can have brilliant and virtually
limitless benefits, but it must be
used sensibly and safely.
“We are working hard to make the
web a safer place for children but
we can’t do it alone and parents
have a vital role to play in educating
young people.”
Online abuse and cyberbullying have
emerged as major issues alongside
the explosion in popularity of social
media sites.
Last
year
figures
showed
convictions for crimes under a law
to prosecute Internet ‘trolls’ have
increased eight-fold in a decade.
9 February 2016
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The above information is
reprinted with kind permission
from The Huffington Post
UK.
Please
visit
www.
huffingtonpost.co.uk for further
information.
© 2016 AOL (UK) Limited
