Teenagers say social media do not have any impact on them. Positive content is more in demand on social media. School counselling would help prevent school tragedies in the future.
MOSCOW, March 6, 2019. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data of a study on the impacts of social media on the youth, as viewed by Russians.
More than half of respondets aged 14-17 (54%) consider that social networking do not have any impact on teenagers. The answers provided by respondents of full age differ from that of minors. Persons aged 18 and over tend to think that social media have negative effects on teenagers (58%). However both adults and adolescents report to rarely face negative content.
Seventeen percent of social media users aged 18 and over and 20% of those under age have come across two or more stories related to dangerous content. Positive content is used more actively on social media: 88% of social media users encountered calls for healthy lifestyles; 79%, information motivating people to help animals (responses by those under age and those of age do not differ).
According to 42% of respondents aged 14-17 and 36% of those aged over 18, school counselling services should be introduced to prevent future school incidents. In addition, respondents in both groups think it is important to toughen security measures, to create the conditions for teenager leisure activities, to develop outreach services for the troubled families and to block the groups promoting crime, violence and suicide. Most of respondents across all age groups are confident that the talk shows showcasing school incidents on federal TV channels should be restricted (71% of minors (aged 14-17) and 72% of respondents aged 18 and over).
The survey findings suggest that the awareness of the dangerous groups on social media (those promoting suicide, violence and terrorism) is rather low; and the awareness levels differ little both in minors and population in general. Indeed, 16% of adults and 18% of adolescents are aware of public groups disseminating suicide-related content; 10% and 11% are aware of groups promoting violence; 9% and 6%, terrorism.
The key reasons behind public interest in such groups are beyond online environment. They are psychological problems of adolescents themselves (49% of minors; 33% of persons aged 18 and over), lack of parental control (29% and 38%, respectively) and conflicts with peers (31% and 24%, respectively). Teenagers’ participation in dangerous groups is mainly seen as a result of their real-life problems (53% of respondents aged 18 and over and 60% of the 14-17-year-olds).
An overwhelming majority of adolescents (98%) say that they use the Internet on a daily basis; moreover, 89% check their social media almost every day. Unlike adolescents, just 69% of adults go on the Internet every day; 53% visit social networking websites.
VCIOM survey was conducted on January 28, 2019. The survey was commissioned by Vkontakte website and involved a sample of 219 respondents (Russians aged 14-17) and a sample of 1,200 respondents (Russians aged 18 and over). The survey was conducted using a random sample of landline and mobile phone numbers from the complete list of the telephone numbers operating in Russia. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 3% for the adult sample. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
There are different opinions on the impacts of social media on teenagers. Which of the statements do you most agree with? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + |
Social media have negative effects on teenagers | 22 | 58 |
Social media have positive effects on teenagers | 19 | 10 |
Social media do not have any impact on teenagers | 54 | 16 |
Don’t know | 5 | 15 |
Have you encountered the following information on social media over the last year, or not? (closed-ended question, one answer per each line, % of those who use the Internet and social media) | |||||||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + | |||||
| Yes, I have | No, I haven’t | Don’t know | Yes, I have | No, I haven’t | Don’t know | |
Positive content | |||||||
Calls for healthy lifestyles | 88 | 11 | 1 | 88 | 11 | 1 | |
Helping animals | 79 | 20 | 1 | 81 | 17 | 2 | |
Negative content | |||||||
Promoting violence | 28 | 71 | 1 | 32 | 66 | 2 | |
Promoting drugs | 16 | 83 | 1 | 11 | 88 | 1 | |
Incitement to ethnic violence | 8 | 92 | 0 | 13 | 86 | 1 | |
Promotion or justification of murders committed by minors | 13 | 87 | 0 | 11 | 88 | 1 | |
Incitement to suicide | 19 | 80 | 1 | 5 | 94 | 1 | |
Visibility of “dangerous content” (% of total respondents using social media) | |||||||
| Aged 14-17 | 18 + | |||||
Those who did not encounter any dangerous content | 54 | 58 | |||||
Those who encountered only 1 story related to dangerous content | 26 | 25 | |||||
Those who encountered 2 or more stories related to dangerous content | 20 | 17 | |||||
In your opinion, what should the Russian government do to prevent school tragedies in future? (closed-ended question, up to 3 answers, % of total respondents) | ||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + |
To follow and block the groups promoting crime, violence and suicide on social media | 28 | 40 |
To introduce school counselling | 42 | 36 |
To create the conditions for teenager leisure activities | 24 | 37 |
To toughen security measures | 42 | 28 |
To launch preventive activities/outreach services for the troubled families | 32 | 29 |
To limit violence on TV | 13 | 30 |
To toughen legislation on arms circulation | 21 | 25 |
Other | 5 | 13 |
Don’t know | 2 | 2 |
Which of the statements regarding the media coverage of tragedies involving teenagers do you most agree with? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + |
Such tragedies should be discussed in talk shows on the federal TV channels | 25 | 19 |
Discussing such tragedies should be restricted in talk shows on the federal TV channels | 71 | 72 |
Don’t know | 4 | 9 |
Are you aware/have you heard/do you hear for the first time of the following social media groups/communities? “Groups promoting…” (closed-ended question, 1 answer per each line, % of total respondents) |
| ||||||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + | |||||
| I am aware | I heard something but I do not know any details | I hear about that for the first time/ don’t know | I am aware | I heard something but I do not know any details | I hear about that for the first time/ don’t know | |
Murder and suicide | 18 | 41 | 41 | 16 | 60 | 24 | |
Violence | 11 | 30 | 59 | 10 | 50 | 40 | |
Terrorism | 6 | 24 | 70 | 9 | 49 | 42 | |
Data suggest that there are plenty of social media groups/communities promoting murders, violence and suicide. In your opinion, what are the reasons for the teenager interest in these groups/topics? (closed-ended question, not more than 2 answers, % of total respondents) | ||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + |
Lack of parental control | 29 | 38 |
Teenagers’ psychological problems (depression, etc.) | 49 | 33 |
Conflicts with peers, bulling | 31 | 24 |
Generally high level of social violence | 16 | 16 |
Availability, no strict ban on dangerous groups | 11 | 15 |
Lack of law enforcement bodies’ control | 5 | 10 |
Desire to find people with similar problems | 18 | 7 |
Showcasing violence in mass media | 6 | 9 |
Lack of control from school | 5 | 7 |
Other | 3 | 11 |
Don’t know | 1 | 3 |
Which of the statements regarding the groups promoting violence, crime and suicide in social media do you most agree with? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + |
Participation in these groups result from adolescents’ real-life problems | 60 | 53 |
Participation in these groups is the reason behind adolescents’ real-life problems | 33 | 30 |
Don’t know | 6 | 17 |
Do you use the Internet? If yes, how often? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + |
More than 4 hours daily | 67 | 30 |
Every day; less than 4 hours a day | 31 | 39 |
Several times a week | 2 | 9 |
Several times a month | 0 | 3 |
Occasionally but at least once every six month | 0 | 1 |
Never | 0 | 18 |
Don’t know | 0 | 0 |
Do you use social networks? If yes, how often? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who use the Internet) | ||
| Aged 14-17 | Aged 18 + |
Every day/ almost every day | 89 | 53 |
Several times a week | 9 | 15 |
Once a week but more than once a month | 1 | 7 |
Once a month or less often | 0 | 4 |
No, never | 1 | 20 |
Don’t know | 0 | 1 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!