- A third of 15 to 18-year-olds in the UK have met someone in person they originally met through social media.
- 69% of teens regularly receive personal messages online from people they do not know and most of them do not tell a trusted adult about it.
- 25% of people said they felt happier online than in real life
- 10% say their online friends know them better
- 25% of teenagers admitted they were addicted to social media but 62% thought their friends were instead
- 25% wished they could give up social media
- 13% said their online friends knew them better than their real-life friends
- 51% of the respondents said they felt it important to check a notification as soon as it came through.
- The average Facebook user doesn’t know one fifth of the people listed as 'friends' on the site.
- Nearly one in 10 teens (8%) has posted his or her phone phone number online.
- 14 percent of 13 - 18 year olds have accepted an invitation to meet an online stranger in-person.
- Teens whose parents have talked to them “a lot” about online safety are less likely to consider meeting face to face with someone they met on the Internet (12% vs. 20%).
These statistics show how the internet is now a part of our everyday lives!
I was quite shocked to learn how many teens are approached by strangers online, by raising awareness of these issues I hope that one day these statistics will dramatically decrease!
References
BBC Newsbeat, (2014). 1 in 3 teenagers meet social media 'friends' in real life. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/29457870 [Accessed 17 Mar. 2014].
Adweek.com, (2011). You Don't Know One-Fifth Of Your Facebook Friends. [online] Available at: http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/you-dont-know-one-fifth-of-your-facebook-friends/332373 [Accessed 17 Mar. 2015].
Onlinesafetysite.com, (2015). Internet Statistics about Teens. [online] Available at: http://www.onlinesafetysite.com/P1/Teenstats.htm [Accessed 17 Mar. 2015].
Internetsafety101.org, (2015). InternetSafety101.org: Statistics. [online] Available at: http://www.internetsafety101.org/predatorstatistics.htm [Accessed 17 Mar. 2015].
Adweek.com, (2011). You Don't Know One-Fifth Of Your Facebook Friends. [online] Available at: http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/you-dont-know-one-fifth-of-your-facebook-friends/332373 [Accessed 17 Mar. 2015].
Onlinesafetysite.com, (2015). Internet Statistics about Teens. [online] Available at: http://www.onlinesafetysite.com/P1/Teenstats.htm [Accessed 17 Mar. 2015].
Internetsafety101.org, (2015). InternetSafety101.org: Statistics. [online] Available at: http://www.internetsafety101.org/predatorstatistics.htm [Accessed 17 Mar. 2015].
