Putting Risks into Perspective: What

the data show

Larry MagidCo-director

ConnectSafely.org

FounderSafeKids.com

larry@ConnectSafely.org

There are problems, but …

•Online predator risk is extremely low

•Only 2% of kids sent a “sext”

•85% of US kids have not been harassed online in last 12 month

•Across Europe, 6% of 9 to 16-year-old internet users have been bullied online. 3% confess to having bullied others.*

•81% of US teens use privacy controls

• 62% friends only

• 19% friends of friends

Source: Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network SitesHow American teens navigate the new world of "digital citizenshipPew Internet & American Life Project, November 2011* EU Kids Online, Sept 2011

Teens & privacyIn U.S.

• 62% of teens who have a social media profile say the profile they use most often is set to be private so that only their friends can see the content they post.

• 19% say their profile is partially private so that friends of friends or their networks can see some version of their profile.

• 17% say their profile is set to public so that everyone can see it

Source: Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network SitesHow American teens navigate the new world of "digital citizenshipPew Internet & American Life Project, November 2011• EU Kids Online, Sept 2011• + Percentages are approximate

In Europe:

• 29% of 9-12 year olds and 27 per cent of 13-16 year olds have their profile “public”

• 20% of SNS users communicate online with people unconnected to their daily lives, including 20% of 9-12 year olds. +

• 20% of children whose profile is public display their address and/or phone number, twice as many as for those with private profiles.+

• 17% of 9-12 year olds and 33% of 13-16 year olds have more than 100 contacts on their SNS profile.+

Children who bully others more likely to be bullied

Whether a child is victim of bullying , by whether the childbullies others

Source: EU Kids Online, Sept. 2011

40% of kids who bully others online are bullied themselves

Only 4% of kids who don’t bully others online are bullied themselves

47% of kids who bully offline are bullied themselves

Most kids don’t experience cruelty online

Source: Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network SitesHow American teens navigate the new world of "digital citizenshipPew Internet & American Life Project, November 2011

We are not raising a generation of monsters

• Most kids don’t bully

• Most kids (69%) say people their age are mostly kind to each other on social networking sites

• 20% have been bullied in past year

• 12% have been bullied in person

• 15% have been victims of “online meanness.”

Source: Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network SitesHow American teens navigate the new world of "digital citizenshipPew Internet & American Life Project, November 2011

Social norms approach• People emulate how they think their peers

behave• If people think their friends don’t smoke,

they’re less likely to smoke.• Same is true with over-eating, excessive alcohol

use and other negative behaviors, including bullying*

*Assessing Bullying in New Jersey Secondary Schools: Applying the Social Norms Model to Adolescent Violence: Craig, Perkins 2008