While an increasing proportion of users is concerned about using the internet, most respondents say the benefits outweigh the risks.
Background: the Online Nation Report is a study conducted by Ofcom jointly with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which is the UK data protection authority. The study looks at people’s use, attitudes and impact of online communications, and industry developments.
More good than harm: The report sheds light on UK consumers’ general attitude about being online. On the one hand, the proportion of adults concerned about using the internet has risen since last year, from 59% to 78%; 61% of adults say they have had a potentially harmful online experience in the past year. The figure rises to 79% among children aged 12-15. However, most respondents see it as a largely positive thing: 59% agree that the benefits of going online outweigh the risks, and 61% of children say the internet makes their lives better. Free speech is seen as one of the internet’s greater strengths, although social media is seen as the leading source of online harm.
Support for regulating the online world is increasing: Perhaps due to the rising concerns, and to the extensive debate around social media, support for greater online regulation has significantly risen. 70% of adults favour tighter rules for social media sites, compared to 52% last year; the same applies to attitudes toward video-sharing sites (64% compared to 46% last year) and instant-messaging services (61% compared to the previous 40%).
