Learning from experience:Young Australians and social media

Dr Matthew Dobson Rosalie O’Neale Digital Society Policy and Cybersmart Outreach Research

6th World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights

Sydney 18-19 March 2013

The Australian Communications and Media Authority regulates telecommunications, internet, broadcasting and radio-communications

About us

• Cybersmart: the national cybersafety andcybersecurity education program managed by the ACMA.

• Part of the Australian Government’s commitmentto keeping children and families safe online.

Role of research

• Research identifies issues, audiences, attitudes and behaviours and information needs.

• Allows for development of targeted and tailored education programs and resources.

• Ongoing informal and formal review of programs and resources,

to ensure accessibility, usability, and utility.

ACMA research

• The ACMA’s research program examines the role of online interaction and new technologies in the lives of Australian children and young people (CYP).

• Research assists ACMA to “keep up with the kids” and will inform future Cybersmart program initiatives.

• Revisiting the ACMA’s original 2009 Click and Connect research on CYP use of online social networking services.

Research objectives

• Understand children and young people’s attitudes and perceptions toward social networking services.

• Identify attitudes and behaviours which profile children and young people’s online risk level.

• Understand children and young people’s self-management of online risk, including through protective behaviours and resilience.

• Explore the role of families and peers in children and young people’s experience and use of social networking services.

Qualitative research design

• Six group discussions with 13 to 17 year olds

• Six in-home depth interviews in friendships pairs with 8 to 12 year olds

• Four in-home ethnographic immersions with 12 to 15 year olds

• Fieldwork was conducted across different metropolitan and regional settings: Sydney, Adelaide, Coffs Harbour, Armidale and Murray Bridge.

Quantitative research design

• Online survey sample n=1511

• Three distinct surveys instruments> Parents > Children aged 8-11 and> Young people aged 12-17

• New questions address witnessing cyberbullying, bystander behaviour and how young people feel about their experiences online.

Social Networking Services

• Facebook dominates the field of user-generatedonline social networks.

• The language of social networking is dominated by Facebook-centric terms – now, CYP talk in terms of their Facebook use when referring to their online social networking.

Social networking services are central to creating and presenting CYP identities

A number of activities on Facebook can signal

identity:

• Who you are friends with

• What you write in your status

• The pictures you put up of yourself

• The content you share

• The things you ‘like’

• The comments you make on other people’s content

Facebook has become central to identity building:

• It has become a vital conduit through which CYP build, negotiate and project their identities

• With many CYP who are less socially confident, using it in some cases more than the real world to do so (keyboard warriors)

• Facebook is a particularly powerful identity tool as it allows a public expression of identity to reach a wide audience

Cyberbullying

• Cyberbullying perceived by children to be an inevitable consequence of using social networks.“It’s sort of part and parcel of it all. You use social networks and you’re going to see cyberbullying.”

• Impact of online ‘distance”.”I reckon some people get this extra confidence to be someone different online. They’ll say all this stuff there is no way they’d say to your face.”

Cyberbullying

16

96

89

80

77

81

3

2

2

1

1

1

1

4

10

17

21

0 20 40 60 80 100

8-9

10-11

12-13

14-15

16-17

%

Yes No Don't know Prefer not to say

B24 / C24. Have you ever been cyberbullied?B25 / C25. Did this happen within the last year?

Experienced cyberbullying- 8-17 year olds -

B24 / C24 BASE: Children (8-9 n=308, 10-11 n=296, 12-13 n=305, 14-15 n=310, 16-17 n=292)B25 / C25 BASE: Children ever been cyberbullied (8-9 n=10, 10-11 n=31, 12-13 n=44, 14-15 n=58, 16-17 n=52)

Happened in last year

100%

95%

90%

74%

55%

Witnessed cyberbullying

28

34

33

29

28

36

38

26

5

12

10 22

0 20 40 60 80 100

12-13

14-15

16-17

%

Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never

B29. How often have you witnessed people cyberbullying others on social networking sites?

Witnessed cyberbullying- 12-17 year olds -

BASE: Children 12-17 ever used SNS (12-13 n=267, 14-15 n=296, 16-17 n=287)

Witnessed cyberbullying - Responses

13

20

16

1

2

19

21

13

43

43

45

4

5

3

24

39

34

17

28

21

11

15

19

8

11

15

18

27

28

33

21

20

87

82

82

31

22

12

14

13 39

32

39

27

25

27

32

0 20 40 60 80 100

12-13

14-15

16-17

12-13

14-15

16-17

12-13

14-15

16-17

12-13

14-15

16-17

Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never

Told the person to stop cyberbullying

B30. When people cyberbully others on social networking sites, how often have you…?

Witnessed cyberbullying – actions taken by self- 12-17 year olds -

BASE: Children 12-17 witnessed cyberbullying (12-13 n=162, 14-15 n=217, 16-17 n=222)

Defended the person who is

being cyberbullied

Join in the cyberbullying

Ignored the cyberbullying

Online behaviours

Online experiences - Bothered

Learning from experience

• Technology is central to young people’s lives• Cyberbullying is ‘part and parcel’ of that

experience• There is an ongoing need to provide CYP

with the knowledge and skills to engage in a positive way with the virtual world.

Our challenge

• Seen it all /Heard it all /• Cutting through the

clutter• Finding a solution:

• Learning• Listening• Talking

Know it all

Birth – 7s

8-12s

Adolescents

But!

• Exposure to online risk does not always = harm

• Risky experiences can help develop coping strategies, resilience

• Limiting experiences may increase vulnerability

What are the issues?

• Cyberbullying

• Sexting

• Digital reputation

• Digital citizenship

Building Tagged

• Looking at the evidence• Being clear about the aims• Preferred format• Consultation

Tagged

Supporting Tagged

Evaluating Tagged

• Formal evaluation

• Feedback

• Awards

www.cybersmart.gov.au

@CybersmartACMA

@RosalieACMA

fb.com/cybersmartcloud

youtube.com/user/ACMAcybersmart