Stacy Jo Dixon
Research expert covering social media usage worldwide
Social media attitudes and experiences in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
Not suitable for work: has social media blurred the lines of work and play? People in the United Kingdom are reluctant to share their social media profiles in the professional realm, and in the personal sphere, online harm is an ongoing issue for many. Social media audiences in the UK are receptive to using content controls; however, a significant number of them are dissuaded by technical jargon.
Opinions differed when jobs included working with vulnerable people, children, or working within the National Health Service (NHS). Overall, 38 percent of respondents strongly supported social media profile checks when the position included working with vulnerable people. Jobs which included working with children saw the highest share of respondents supporting the idea. Half of British adults either strongly supported or somewhat supported social media checks when people were applying to work within the NHS.
Moreover, almost one in ten British people aged between 18 and 24 years had been rejected for jobs multiple times because of their social media posts.
In Northern Ireland, 85 percent of women supported making online violence a criminal offense, with seven in ten stating that existing legislation was not effective. Women in Scotland and England were more likely than their male counterparts to believe that online violence should be made a criminal offense.
The type of content that children and teens are exposed to varies, and 39 percent of children in England and Wales said they had been exposed to nudity and porn as of April 2023, while 44 percent said they had been exposed to hatred against women and girls. Furthermore, boys were more likely than girls to be exposed to misogynistic content, hateful content, and nudity.
Many people in the UK are happy for certain professions to require social media checks, with some jobseekers having already experienced rejection due to this scrutiny. Regarding online harm, it is necessary to develop user-friendliness and accessibility of content controls to provide a more secure social media experience.
The clash of the personal and the private
Depending on the position that is being applied for, social media users in Britain are not that happy about handing over social media profiles to employers. As of February 2023, 22 percent of British adults said they would be very unwilling to show a prospective employer their social media profile, while 27 percent said they strongly opposed employers being able to check social media profiles as a standard part of an application process.Opinions differed when jobs included working with vulnerable people, children, or working within the National Health Service (NHS). Overall, 38 percent of respondents strongly supported social media profile checks when the position included working with vulnerable people. Jobs which included working with children saw the highest share of respondents supporting the idea. Half of British adults either strongly supported or somewhat supported social media checks when people were applying to work within the NHS.
Moreover, almost one in ten British people aged between 18 and 24 years had been rejected for jobs multiple times because of their social media posts.
Harmful content: part and parcel of the social media experience?
As social media is becoming more entwined in the professional world, many people face online harm in their personal worlds. As of February 2023, approximately one third of women across the UK had witnessed online violence. In Scotland, where the rate of witnessing online violence was highest, 45 percent of LGB+ women had personally experienced online violence.In Northern Ireland, 85 percent of women supported making online violence a criminal offense, with seven in ten stating that existing legislation was not effective. Women in Scotland and England were more likely than their male counterparts to believe that online violence should be made a criminal offense.
The type of content that children and teens are exposed to varies, and 39 percent of children in England and Wales said they had been exposed to nudity and porn as of April 2023, while 44 percent said they had been exposed to hatred against women and girls. Furthermore, boys were more likely than girls to be exposed to misogynistic content, hateful content, and nudity.
Content controls: does it have to be this way?
For some, using content controls can make for a better social media experience. As of October 2023, 38 percent of UK adults who had used content controls reported that their platform experience across social media and video-sharing services improved. Almost half of social media users in the country knew about social media content controls, but only 26 percent had used them. It appears that content control functions, even if users are aware of them, can be somewhat daunting. In 2023, 52 percent of UK adults reported that the information provided when using these functions was too long, and 41 percent said that the explanation was not clear enough. In addition, 42 percent said there was too much technical language.Many people in the UK are happy for certain professions to require social media checks, with some jobseekers having already experienced rejection due to this scrutiny. Regarding online harm, it is necessary to develop user-friendliness and accessibility of content controls to provide a more secure social media experience.
