Study: Sexual harassment of young people online is a problem
Young people are frequently confronted with fake news, sexual harassment and insults online, according to a youth study. "One in three girls and one in four boys have already been sexually harassed online in 2023," announced the Media Education Research Association Southwest on Wednesday. For the representative study "Jugend, Information, Medien" (JIM-2023), 1,200 young people throughout Germany aged between 12 and 19 were surveyed.
23% of those surveyed between May 30 and July 9, 2023 had also been unintentionally confronted with pornographic content in the month prior to the survey. Marc Jan Eumann, Director of the Rhineland-Palatinate Media Authority and Chairman of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM), emphasized: "Porn is not a children's program". Pornography providers must carry out reliable age checks.
According to the study, 58% of the young people surveyed said they had been exposed to fake news. This included extreme political views, conspiracy theories and hatred. "The high level of exposure to false information and hate messages among young people is alarming," said Wolfgang Kreißig, President of the Baden-Württemberg Media Authority (LFK) and Chairman of the Conference of Directors of the State Media Authorities (DLM).
In addition to media use, young people's interest in politics and society was also part of the JIM 2023 survey. According to the results, two thirds are generally interested in current world events, 63% in climate change and 54% in the war in Ukraine. According to their answers, young people most often get their information in the old-fashioned way: 63% cited family conversations, while one in two referred to friends, television or radio as sources of information. Social media platforms, on the other hand, only serve as a point of contact for such information for one in three young people.
According to the press release, the Media Education Research Association Southwest includes the Baden-Württemberg Media Authority (LFK) and the Rhineland-Palatinate Media Authority, in cooperation with SWR.
The Internet serves as a platform for the dissemination of fake news, including extreme political views and conspiracy theories, which is concerning for the youth. Unfortunately, online, young individuals are not only exposed to false information but also face the issue of sexual harassment, with one in three girls and one in four boys experiencing it in 2023.
Source: www.dpa.com
