New data shows that a majority of young people have been exposed to disturbing content online, such as violent/gory material or hate speech, but many of those young people are reporting that material, according to survey results released today by UNICEF Australia.
“The online world is crucial for the development of children and young people. As the first generation of ‘digital natives’ grow up, we know being online has a lot of positives, such as seeking out news and information, but young people continue to face risks - as this new data shows,” says John Livingstone, Head of Digital Policy at UNICEF Australia.
“UNICEF, the United Nations children’s charity, works across the globe to protect children. This is just as important in the online world as it is the offline world. Children and young people need to feel safe and be protected from dangerous and harmful online content,” says Mr Livingstone.
Some key findings from the YouGov survey of 1,008 Australian teenagers aged 15-17 show:
- Violent/gory content: 60% of Australian teens admit they have seen violent or gory content online. Of those who have seen this type of content, half say that they took action against it (by blocking, reporting or telling someone).
- Hate speech: 71% of Australian teens admit they have seen hate speech that attacks certain groups online. Amongst those who have seen this type of content, the majority (62%) say that they took action against it, by blocking, reporting or telling someone. Boys are more likely than girls to admit they have seen this type of content online but did not do anything about it (43% compared with 33%)
- Self-harm materials: two in five (39%) Australian teens admit they have seen online content around ways to physically harm or hurt themselves. Amongst those who have seen this type of content the majority (61%) say that they took action against it, such as blocking, reporting or telling someone.
- Online bullying: 75% of Australian teens say they know what to do when they see someone being bullied online. Four in five (80%) believe that taking action against a bully online makes a difference.
- Artificial intelligence: 20% of young people surveyed had used chatbots to write an assignment or do schoolwork for them, and 69% of Australian teens say that they have used a generative artificial intelligence chatbot with the main purposes including generating ideas for schoolwork/ school projects (45%).
“In many ways, Australia is at the very forefront of protecting children online, including through our world-first eSafety Commissioner, who has been leading a global charge to keep young people safer online, with legislation and tech industry codes designed to better protect children online,” says Mr Livingstone.
“But we know that children’s online safety continues to be at risk from bullying, harmful content, and contact from strangers. So, we need to put tools in the hands of more children and parents to help with this – along with stronger laws and changes to online platforms to provide more safety.”
“Additionally, the unprecedented collection of children’s data also places them at risk of hacking and manipulation. The Government's recent commitment to develop a Children's Online Privacy Code is a step in the right direction - we need new laws which better protect children’s data, and to raise awareness about privacy concerns for children.”
“It is important young people’s voices are heard. Children and young people should be consulted in the development of all the active digital reforms in Australia.”
Across the world, UNICEF works to make the internet a safer place for children to learn, socialise and express themselves, along with our work to prevent and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children at a global level.
UNICEF also has a dedicated Office of Research – Innocenti – in Italy, which coordinates and facilitates research on children’s use of digital technologies, generating evidence of the opportunities and risks that children from around the world may encounter in a digital age.
“UNICEF Australia wants to bring this global know-how and presence to support and encourage the work that governments, private industry and tech companies are doing to better protect children. We will do this by bridging the gap between governments and the tech sector, and calling for new or improved laws and changes to online platforms to better protect children,” said Mr Livingstone.
“Fundamentally, it’s about advocating for a better online world for Australian children - by making sure online safety laws are fit for purpose, and that platforms are protecting children, so they are as safe as possible online.”
As part of UNICEF's focus on digital wellbeing, today also sees a new partnership between the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child and UNICEF Australia, which will bring together the global presence of UNICEF and the expertise of leading Australian universities to improve the digital world for Aussie children.
UNICEF Australia and Digital Child will share research and evidence from each organisation’s work to aid in policy and advocacy, and collaborate to amplify each other’s work.
Read UNICEF Australia’s ‘Protecting Children in the Online World’ position paper, and visit the online safety section of the UNICEF Australia website to learn more about how you can keep your child safe online.