Some young Australians aged 12 to 17 feel more at ease online than offline.
Here are some reasons why:
More freedom
26% feel that they have more freedom online
29% feel the same level of freedom offline and online
39% feel they have more freedom offline
More confidence
24% feel more confident online
41% feel more confident offline
30% feel that their level of confidence is the same online and offline
More open
21% feel they can express what they think online
38% feel that they are more open offline
36% feel that there is no difference online and offline
Time with friends
18% spend the same amount of time with friends online and offline
63% spend more time with friends offline
18% spend more time with friends online.
The proportion who spent more time with friends online was higher for:
older teens: 20% for 15 to 17 year olds compared to 15% for 12 to 14 year olds
those born overseas: 22%, compared to 17% for those born in Australia
Friendships
78% have best friends who they interact with offline only
15% have best friends who they interact with both online and offline
6% have best friends who they interact with solely online
Feel safer
52% feel safer offline than online
31% feel equally safe online and offline
11% feel safer online than offline
Source: Research commissioned by the eSafety and the Department of Education and Training, November to December 2016. Respondents comprised 2,448 young people aged 12 to 17 years in Australia.
