Teens, Tech & Wellbeing

Harmful Content

While Cyberbullying reduced slightly, exposure to harmful content increased alarmingly fast during 2020 and 2021/2.

Body image is the area registering the greatest change. 22% more teens saw content about how to bulk up the body and 20% more than last year were pressured to be too thin.

Content talking about suicide was seen by 14% more teens than in the year before, and self-harm material by 13% more. Unsought nude images or videos were mentioned by 6% more young people year on year.

about this Cybersurvey

This was the second Cybersurvey conducted during a lockdown. Our sincere thanks to schools and young people for tackling it at such a challenging time. It has been well worth it for the powerful and often moving messages that emerged.

With a focus on wellbeing, readers will gain insights into the changes young people report since the sunny days of 2019 pre-COVID. We refer to data from 2019 and 2020 when looking at trends. Hear what teens say in their own words. There are vital messages about the way anxiety and worry appear to influence what users choose to view.

To enable us to continue this 16 year journey of listening to young people and exploring their lives in a digital age, we need schools to take part!

Please consider doing the survey for 2023 in the autumn term. There is no charge to schools.