Teens tell us about the online world they inhabit

Current concerns

There are 3 prominent concerns emerging from last year’s annual Cybersurvey by Youthworks.

Misogyny and racism increase

A recent trend has emerged: while the overall percentage of young people encountering harmful content has decreased, there has been a notable rise in reports of misogynistic and racist content. 

Harmful content seen without searching for it

A new measure sought to find out whether young people had seen content about self-harm, suicide, pro anorexia (pro ana), unwanted sexual or very violent content with or without searching for it. Content encouraging violence was two thirds more likely to be seen without a search, than if the user searched for it and content about suicide was more than twice as likely to be encountered rather than searched.

This suggests algorithms are repeatedly serving up harmful content to young people or they are sending it to one another. 

Of 12-year-olds surveyed, 29% ‘feel shocked by what they see online without searching for it.’ This suggests that filters and age-appropriate settings are either not in place on their devices, or not working effectively. Some are shown content by other teenagers who may be older.

Is it real or fake?

Alongside this, another powerful theme emerged, teens questioning the veracity of content, messages and even people, wondering if they are real or fake. 

Survey results

Young people surveyed (ages 11 to 17+) repeatedly saw harmful content they did not search for. It was either sent to them or popped up, but 15% repeatedly saw unsought content talking about suicide, while 6% saw it 3 or more times after having searched for it. Content encouraging violence or showing unsought violent images ‘you did not want to see’ is being seen 3 times more often than when searched. Content encouraging anorexia or self-harm is easily seen without a search.  

Harmful content seen without searching for it

Harmful content seen by searching for it

Further insights

In sessions held to discuss the results, it was heartening to see that there is a level of resilience and independence developing amongst many of these teenagers. A majority are developing coping skills and some suggest that they can ‘re-train’ the algorithm. According to the survey, 67% said ‘I know how to get help if I have a problem online’ and 58% believe ‘If I have a problem online, I can sort it out myself.’ Over two thirds feel ‘If I see something upsetting or unacceptable, I can recover’. Many ‘teach myself about online safety or look it up online’. 

Online safety education 

Almost two thirds have received some education in online safety via school, although fewer than half always follow it: 44% of girls and 42% of boys do so, but only 22% of those who prefer not to state their gender. While 70% of girls and 69% of boys found it somewhat helpful, 18% of boys felt ‘It did not connect with my issues.’ A little over one third of teens said they had used the advice to help them with a problem they encountered.

Perceptions about online safety education

Teens complain about outdated and sporadic or piecemeal online safety education that does not offer practical explorations of what you could do in certain situations. They want more hands-on experiences, case studies, scenarios and debates and fewer outdated videos being repeatedly offered year after year. There are considerable gender differences in their confidence, which suggests girls are being made to be fearful and timid about technology, whilst boys are adventurous and using online resources for learning and fun far more.

Despite their complaints about online safety education, 40% said they always or often spotted misinformation or fake news and 36% said they always or often wonder if what I read is true. The survey shows that 37% take active steps to check who wrote it to decide whether it can be trusted. However, almost 1 in 5 hardly ever consider this.

Teens’ responses and experiences are not all the same

Our research since 2017 has focused not only on the majority, but on young people who are vulnerable offline and how they experience the online world. It can represent both a refuge from offline life and a risk for them. In the digital world they can ‘escape my issues’ or manage their moods: ‘I calm down my emotions’. But equally, they can be at greater risk than their peers who have none of the vulnerabilities measured. 

The Cybersurvey (2023 to 2024) showed that 65% of teens with a mental health difficulty saw suicide content without searching for it and 77% of teens with an eating disorder saw pro-ana content ‘unintentionally’. When comparing this data with the figure of 35% of all teens (with or without a vulnerability) who had seen suicide content without searching, these figures highlight how  algorithms and repeated exposure after one or two initial searches, can exacerbate this issue.

Supporting children and young people

Follow the evidence not the hype

How online life may be affecting young people is an area of frequent debate and discussion, generating diverse opinions. Keeping an open mind is essential when considering the complexity of the picture created by teens’ responses. These, and many research studies, reveal the positives found in digital spaces and the self-aware choices young people make. For some, their phone is a lifeline, others are not using it safely. This evidence does not support taking away their phone or wi-fi access, but points to a need for improved support, engagement and non-judgemental interventions while pressuring platforms to consider age appropriate safety by design and removal of harmful content. 

Help build resilience and belonging

The contribution of 3 areas of offline life are shown to be linked to resilience online

• Home: being able to turn to parents if you have a problem and receiving non- judgemental support and engagement.
• Friendships and social inclusion: not feeling left out or bullied, having good friends most of the time.
• School: believing that ‘School is a place where I feel I belong’ and ‘There is an adult I trust at school.’

Act offline to increase safety online

Young people should be prepared for a safer life in a digital world in which they will interact with services, health professionals, news, banking, work and play. 

Paradoxically, this involves intense efforts to make them feel accepted and safe in the community, paying attention to prejudice-related bullying, misogyny or discrimination, because attitudes within society are reflected and greatly amplified online. 

Cybersurvey evidence suggests that a focus on ‘belonging’ contributes to resilience. Boys are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and trust at school, whereas only a third of girls say ‘school is a place where I feel I belong’ and ‘there is an adult I trust at school’. Compared to teens who never feel left out, those who do, described more anxiety, were less able to recover when things went wrong online, and were more likely to add unknown people as friends.

Socially isolated teens were more likely to have shared a nude, either because they thought it was expected, or under pressure. Some believe it is a way to get accepted. They were also more likely to report having a photo shared, altered or faked without their consent than those with good friendships.

Gender: address some online safety needs separately

Gender issues come to the fore, suggesting we should explore online life with young people with an eye on gendered experiences.

Data insights

• In online games, 48% of boys report seeing cyberhate.  
• Girls are twice as likely as boys to personally experience cyberhate targeting religion (14% vs 7%). 
• Girls report higher instances of cyberaggression linked to appearance (26%), rumour spreading (23%) and sexual harassment (9%). 
• Both boys and girls personally experienced cyberaggression around race (17% and 15%, respectively). 

Body image and perception of others’ lives play a large role in online life for all teenagers. Almost 1 in 4 teenagers always or often believe that ‘Other people have a better life than me’. 
While girls tend to see pro-anorexia content, since COVID-19, boys are keen on bulking up the body and may consider steroids or other products.

Almost 1 in 5 say ‘Because of what I see online I’ve often tried to change my body shape’. The power of ‘Thinspiration’ or ‘Thinspo’, including the risks of buying something online to alter the body should be discussed with young people.

• Compared to boys, girls are twice as likely to feel anxious if they cannot use their phone. 
• Girls are almost twice as likely as boys to feel they have to keep checking what other people are saying about them online.
• Girls are more than three times as likely to feel ‘I would lose friends if I was not on social media’ than boys.

Support parents and carers

Too few parents are using parental controls for basic safety or filtering or ensuring that 11 to 13 year olds see age-appropriate films or games. Parents and carers often threaten to take a phone away, as a punishment, which may prevent a young person turning to them for help, as they fear losing it. Similarly, banning an app on which all their friends gather, could be counter productive or lead to secrecy.

Address misinformation and disinformation

The question of what is true and what could be fake has greatly ramped up with the rapid advancements in AI. Common Sense Media found that over 7 in 10 (72%) teens changed the way they evaluate the accuracy of online information after having an experience with deceptive or fake content. 

Their awareness is an important sign that they are alert to the risks and the new threats posed by AI. It is the role of education practitioners, parents, carers and other professionals around the child to engage with this issue, while regulatory efforts continue to evolve. 

Identify who is most at risk and train staff

The survey explores those who are more likely to describe negative impacts such as teens with an eating disorder or a mental health difficulty, those who worry about life at home, those with vision or hearing loss, speech difficulties, young carers, children in care and those with other challenges. The findings in this survey remain consistent with our published research.

For those living with challenges, the internet plays a different role in which a young person seeks to establish an identity, seek help or find others in the same situation. Being deprived of it can cause deep distress. It is however essential that all who care for or work with young people are alive to the dangers and alert for signs someone may need help.

All services working with children lack specialist training in online life. The digital landscape is constantly evolving, it is vital that adults learn alongside our young people.

This data was collected in autumn 2023. Respondents total: 1433 of which 970 are secondary students from 5 schools, reported here. Primary school responses from 7 schools are reported separately. All our reports for practice and our research papers can be found at www.thecybersurvey.co.uk