Network security emergency: one in two teenagers is bullied
Seven out of ten teens do not feel safe when they are on the web, and 88% ask for psychological support because they are "alone"
One in 2 teenagers have been bullied, 7 out of 10 teens do not feel safe when they are on the web and for 68% the most feared threat is cyberbullying, followed by revenge porn (60%), identity theft ( 40.6%), stalking (35%). 88% of young people say they feel lonely or very lonely, last year it was 93%, and ask for psychological support and more attention to mental health. These are just some of the data collected by the “Indifesa 2021” observatory. A survey carried out by Terre des Hommes and OneDay, with the help of ScuolaZoo and its communities, which involved more than 1700 boys and girls aged 14 to 26 throughout Italy.
PERCEIVED RISKS - Bullying and cyberbullying are the two main risks perceived by adolescents who also report the "deep pain" felt for discrimination due to sexual orientation, racist offenses, bodyshaming, acts of denigration, violence and incitement to suicide.
The research also shows the very strong psychological distress caused, or exasperated, by the two years of the pandemic. 37.5% of the interviewees fear social isolation and 35% fear of suffering from depression, 22% of loneliness. Among the causes of loneliness, 31% say they do not feel listened to in the family and 30% do not feel loved, while 29.2% do not go to meeting places.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT - "Strong and clear" the request for access to psychological support to overcome moments of difficulty. The "Generation Z" believes it is essential to talk with peers, to be able to take emotional education courses and participate in more awareness-raising initiatives and ask to involve the main social networks to strengthen the mechanisms for reporting inappropriate content on the web.
The survey by the Indifesa Observatory this year was expanded through a survey on Instagram profiles OneDay and ScuolaZoo, which reconfirm the trend of the survey: out of a total of 23,292 responses, 45% of adolescents say they have been bullied, mainly to school, in the sports environment and in public spaces. A minority of the young bullied were helped: out of 11,394 responses, only 2,995 received some form of help from parents, friends, teachers, school psychologists and sports coaches.
(Unioneonline / vl)
