Young Canadians are increasingly exposed to inappropriate and hateful content online, and they want it to stop, according to a new MediaSmarts study.

The Ottawa-based non-profit organization surveyed 1,058 young people between ages nine and 17 in fall 2021 to determine how often they encounter content that’s harmful or makes them uncomfortable, and also how they respond to it. 

The study found that 20% of Canadian teens have come across content that made them feel uncomfortable, and 34% of 12- to 17-year-olds report seeing racist or sexist content online at least once a week. LGBTQ+ teens and those with disabilities are the most likely to experience this. They’re also the most likely to feel that the internet isn’t a safe place, along with girls and racialized kids.

The majority of teens (88%) agree it’s important to report racist or sexist content so that other people know it’s wrong. And they’re eager for the tech industry to do something about it. About 81% of kids want tech companies to do more to stop inappropriate content from being posted or shared online.

Young people are frustrated and often disillusioned by the mechanics that platforms have in place for flagging harmful content, says Kara Brisson-Boivin, a research director at MediaSmarts. “They want greater transparency on the part of platforms regarding enforcement of community standards and reporting,” she says.

Techcos and content creators can also do more to help educate kids about digital literacy. According to the report, teens also say they want to learn more about how to be safe online (36%), how to report inappropriate content in general (17%), and how to deal with hateful, racist or sexist online content (14%).

Kids know that what is posted online has a very real impact on people’s physical and mental health, and they want to know more about how to push back against harmful content, says Brisson-Boivin.

Many teens (86%) say they have people in their lives who can help solve the online problems they experience,  Brisson-Boivin says. “This help from family and friends can be supported through additional digital media literacy resources in the classroom and community.”

It’s not just young Canadians who are concerned about their online safety. A study published by research firm KidsCorp earlier this year showed that tweens in Latin America are also worried in the wake of the pandemic. In particular, they’re concerned about their privacy and being spied on when they’re online.

Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash