Young people are increasingly being sexually harassed online

In the past six years, sexual harassment on the Internet has increased markedly from 19 percent to 44 percent. According to the James Study - Youth, Activity, Media, Survey Switzerland - girls were more likely to be victims of sexual harassment (55 percent) than boys (28 percent).

"Of course, young people of this age are increasingly interested in sexual content. But it's quite another thing when young people are unintentionally confronted with it," Michael In Albon, Youth Media Protection Officer at Swisscom, was quoted as saying in a statement from ZHAW and Swisscom. The significant increase in such harassment also has to do with the trivialization of sexualized content on the Internet.

"Cyberbullying" affects even the youngest

According to the researchers, interest in erotic, sexual content is part of growing up and developing one's own sexuality. However, it can also be problematic, as certain pornographic content conveys a false or one-sided image of sexuality and can sometimes have a disturbing effect. The survey showed that a good half of 18- and 19-year-olds had viewed pornographic content on their cell phones or computers or had been sent erotic images.

A quarter of young people have also been confronted with so-called "cyberbullying," including one in ten 12- and 13-year-olds.

Tiktok increasingly important

The James study also shows that cell phone use has increased sharply in the last two years. At weekends, it is almost two hours higher than in 2018 at five hours, while during the week it is around 40 minutes more than two years ago at three hours a day.
Social networks are particularly important for young people, where they view and "like" posts from others. Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok have overtaken the Facebook platform: 90 percent have an account on Instagram or Snapchat, three out of four young people on Tiktok. Just 14 percent still use Facebook, compared with 79 percent in 2014.

Less caution on social networks

However, young people seem to be less cautious when it comes to social networks: Whereas in 2014, 81 percent of respondents still protected their privacy with technical settings, in 2020 the figure was 66 percent.

According to the researchers, the cause is likely to be the networks' algorithm: "If young people restrict their privacy, they are less visible and receive less reach. This limits the opportunities to get likes," said media psychologist Gregor Waller of the ZHAW.

Different usage among genders

Furthermore, the James study showed that girls and boys use their cell phones for different purposes: Girls communicate primarily via social networks, listen to music more often, and 86 percent take photos regularly (in contrast to 62 percent of boys).
For boys, on the other hand, the focus is on online videos and games. Two-thirds of them regularly play games, compared to only ten percent of girls. The problem is that just under a quarter of underage gamers say they regularly play games that are not approved for their age.

More family, fewer friends

Another trend in the James study showed that three-quarters of teen households have a subscription such as Netflix - up from 38 percent in 2016. Music streaming and game flat rate subscriptions also increased significantly.

According to the researchers, the partial lockdown could have accelerated this development. The young people probably made greater use of streaming services to distract themselves or to escape from the reality that was stressing them, said ZHAW media psychologist Daniel Süss.

The Corona crisis probably also reinforced another trend: family is becoming increasingly important for young people. For example, one-third of participants said they had done something with their family (2010: 16 percent), and two-thirds with their friends (2010: 62 percent). (SDA/swi)