According to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 2020, 65 percent of teenagers aged between 13 and 17 years, had seen offensive or harmful language in online videos where they were not expecting to see them. Just over a quarter of adults aged 18 years and older said they had seen online content that they were sure was illegal. During the same survey, it was found that more than half of the teenage respondents had seen violent or graphic images in online videos where they were not expecting to see them.
Share of teen and adult internet users in the United Kingdom who have seen harmful content online in 2020
Characteristic
13-17 years
Adults
Offensive/harmful language on videos where I was not expecing to see them
65%
41%
Offensive/harmful opinions on videos where I was not expecting to see them
60%
39%
Advertising on videos that is unsuitable for minors/those under the age of 18
57%
35%
Content that may be illegal but I'm not sure
51%
33%
Violence/graphic images on videos where I was not expecting to see them
54%
32%
Unsuitable/graphic sexual imagery on videos where I was not expecting to see them
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GOV.UK. (August 3, 2021). Share of teen and adult internet users in the United Kingdom who have seen harmful content online in 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288009/prominence-of-harmful-content-online-in-the-uk/
GOV.UK. "Share of teen and adult internet users in the United Kingdom who have seen harmful content online in 2020." Chart. August 3, 2021. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288009/prominence-of-harmful-content-online-in-the-uk/
GOV.UK. (2021). Share of teen and adult internet users in the United Kingdom who have seen harmful content online in 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288009/prominence-of-harmful-content-online-in-the-uk/
GOV.UK. "Share of Teen and Adult Internet Users in The United Kingdom Who Have Seen Harmful Content Online in 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 3 Aug 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288009/prominence-of-harmful-content-online-in-the-uk/
GOV.UK, Share of teen and adult internet users in the United Kingdom who have seen harmful content online in 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288009/prominence-of-harmful-content-online-in-the-uk/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Share of teen and adult internet users in the United Kingdom who have seen harmful content online in 2020 [Graph], GOV.UK, August 3, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288009/prominence-of-harmful-content-online-in-the-uk/
