A majority of Polish teenagers have experienced online abuse such as hate speech, stalking and harmful image sharing, according to a new survey.
The research, commissioned by Poland’s Ombudswoman for Children, also found that teenage girls are more likely to have encountered offensive language on the web than their male peers.
Asked about the type of harmful material they have witnessed online, 84% of kids aged 12-17 said they had experienced hate speech, the PAP press agency reported.
Online stalking was mentioned by 77% of those surveyed, while 74% said they had seen images being shared without the owner’s consent.
Merely 1% of participants viewed the internet as a risk-free environment, the report revealed.
The difference in how girls and boys experience life online is made clear in the data, which was published on Wednesday.
Girls were more likely than boys to indicate online hate speech as a threat (90% compared to 78%), as well as AI-generated photos (55% versus 48%).
Boys, on the other hand, were more worried about social media profiles being hacked (73%, compared to 64% among girls) and scams (71% versus 62%).
Almost half of those surveyed (44%) felt they could count on support when confronting cyber threats, while 7% reported having no one to seek advice from.
Around one in five of the teenagers said they would like to take part in classes on safety in the virtual world.
“We need open intergenerational dialogue and genuine support... not only from adults but also from peers,” Jakub Dołęga, the chairman of the ombudswoman's Children and Youth Council, said in the report.
The research was conducted from October 23 to December 6 on a representative sample of 1,604 Polish students aged 12-17.
Asked about the type of harmful material they have witnessed online, 84% of kids aged 12-17 said they had experienced hate speech, the PAP press agency reported.
Online stalking was mentioned by 77% of those surveyed, while 74% said they had seen images being shared without the owner’s consent.
Merely 1% of participants viewed the internet as a risk-free environment, the report revealed.
Girls more wary of online abuse
The difference in how girls and boys experience life online is made clear in the data, which was published on Wednesday.
Girls were more likely than boys to indicate online hate speech as a threat (90% compared to 78%), as well as AI-generated photos (55% versus 48%).
Boys, on the other hand, were more worried about social media profiles being hacked (73%, compared to 64% among girls) and scams (71% versus 62%).
Almost half of those surveyed (44%) felt they could count on support when confronting cyber threats, while 7% reported having no one to seek advice from.
Around one in five of the teenagers said they would like to take part in classes on safety in the virtual world.
“We need open intergenerational dialogue and genuine support... not only from adults but also from peers,” Jakub Dołęga, the chairman of the ombudswoman's Children and Youth Council, said in the report.
The research was conducted from October 23 to December 6 on a representative sample of 1,604 Polish students aged 12-17.
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