Insights into Digital Harm.

I came across this report recently, produced by the Ministry for Women and Netsafe, called ‘Insights into Digital Harm: The Online Lives of New Zealand Boys and Girls.’

Link: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Insights-Into-Digital-Harm-Ministry-for-Women-Netsafe_R3_v6b-Web.pdf

This research is the first of its kind in New Zealand to investigate gendered differences in online harm from the point of view of girls and boys. This research shows that girls and boys invest in their online lives in different ways; they interact differently online; and the extent to which their online lives impact on their identities also differs. 

The report is 48 pages and so I can only note some of the key findings. Not surprisingly a key overarching finding is the important role the online world plays in young people’s lives. However there were gender differences in how this online world is experienced. 

For example, girls were more likely to use social media like Instagram to form or ‘curate’ their identities. Boys, on the other hand, didn’t see their online lives as important in forming their identities. 

There were also gender differences in the relationship between participants’ offline and online worlds. For example, conflict was more likely to escalate online for girls, while it was more likely to escalate offline for boys.

Sadly participants felt there was little useful formal help or support in place. They also reported that there were a number of barriers to seeking help, including their own reluctance to seek help in case they exposed their own behaviours. This corresponds with the Netsafe Surveys we have recently completed here at school where students clearly did not know where to seek help with online issues.

The following were consistently raised by participants as vital in all prevention/early intervention efforts to reduce digital harm against young New Zealanders.

• Efforts to prevent and reduce digital harm must begin early (at intermediate).
  
• There needs to be a two-pronged approach to prevention, addressing the person as a whole, as well as technical digital aspects.
  
• Whole-person preventative approaches could be led by adults.
  
• Technical aspects of digital harm and safety must be led by a young person or young mentor (aged between 16 and 25).
  
• The young leader must be relatable.
  
• Measures must be engaging for the young people involved (i.e. not a ‘lecture’).
  
• Must be guided by a clear and accurate understanding of how young people engage with their online lives.
  
• Must respect young people’s use of the digital environment and attitudes towards their online lives (to the same extent that their physical and offline lives would be respected).
  
• Must respect young people’s autonomy and recognise they’re independent agents who feel in control of their own experiences.
  
• Must be self-empowering: support them to help themselves and their friends.
  
• Must be age-specific and regularly updated.
  

Certainly a challenge for all of us.