Teens ‘under false sense of security’ online

Almost a quarter of UK teens have experienced cyber-bullying, and one in 20 chooses to do nothing about it, showing a growing imbalance between perceived safety online and reality.

The sense of security that UK teens are under shows that they are placing increasing amounts of trust in the sites they use and the connections they make on social networks.

The research, carried out by Piczo (www.piczo.com), the UK's leading teen destination for self expression, showed that almost a quarter of respondents have been bullied online in the past but that only 36 per cent of those surveyed would report an incident such as cyber-bullying.

More than a third (35%) however said they would use the site or social network to block the person from contacting them again, showing that most users would normally take matters into their own hands.

A crucial five per cent however ignores cyber-threats altogether, showing there is a need for parents and the social networks themselves to take the initiative.

Piczo’s director, member services, Keith Crowell, said: "Young people are feeling safer online, but there are varying degrees of awareness of the dangers that the web can present. This is an issue for parents and for the social networking sites that young people use, and we must ensure we take every measure to make their environment safer and more user-friendly."

"The issue of privacy and safety on social networks is set to be increasingly prominent in 2008," continued Crowell. "Reported rises in instances of cyber bullying and grooming are shaping the public's perception of how safe their online social networks really are. This is a high profile issue, but one where common sense steps can be taken to safeguard the welfare of young people."

Addressing the increasing perceived threat, Piczo advises that parents and teens to observe the following seven tips to create a safer online environment. 

1.      Safer by design

Ensure you are using sites that allow you to control your privacy as a user, make it easy to report abuse and that protect your online profile to prevent strangers finding you anonymously.

2.      Holistic content review and moderation

Help to moderate content and users on social networks, and make sure the sites you use allow you to do this easily and make sure the sites you use proactively moderate and review user generated content in an automated fashion.

3.      Online safety education

Take part in online safety education programmes as a user and request that schools and colleges take steps to do the same. Make sure the sites you use offer information and tips to stay safe online. 

4.      Partnerships with safety bodies

Make sure the sites you use are working closely with government departments and agencies to make the web a safer place for users.

5.      Protect underage users

Sites should take measures to prevent underage members from registering. Users that are found to be underage should be promptly removed from the network and their email address flagged to block future registrations.

6.      Evergreen easy-to-understand privacy policies and terms of use

Make sure to read and understand a site's privacy policy and terms of use. You should also make sure that the sites are in constant touch with you with their safety initiatives, so that you are sure that everything is current and up to date, not just an empty gesture.

7.      Zero tolerance

Users should not tolerate threatening or suspicious behaviour online and should ensure the sites they use sign up to the same code of conduct

Piczo's European MD, Chris Seth, said: "What's important to us is that we look at both the technology and the human factors to make the web safer for our users. It is a website's basic responsibility to look after its users by moderating the content of users' profiles to ensure unsuitable images or videos are removed.  This is especially true for sites aimed at the teen segment. At the same time we would encourage all of our users to look out for each other while online to ensure that their time on the internet is shared, safe and enjoyable."