Nearly half of young adults would opt for world without internet—UK study
Nearly half of young adults would opt for a world without the internet, a United Kingdom study found.
In the survey of the British Standards Institution, the UK's national standards body, among 1,293 Britons aged 16 to 21, about 47% of them prefer living offline.
About 50% of the respondents also believe social media curfew would improve their lives.
For many of them, the internet has led to bad habits. 74% of the respondents think the COVID-19 pandemic prompted them to spend more time online. Some 68% of them, meanwhile, felt worse about themselves after spending time online.
The young adults in the survey were also secretive toward their providers about their online activities, with 42% admitting to lying to their parents or guardians.
They've also shown dishonesty online. About 27% of them have pretended to be a different person, 42% have pretended to be a different age, and 40% have set up a fake account.
In terms of utilizing the internet, 26% of the respondents spend four hours or more on social media, while 20% spend three hours or more on games. About 49%, meanwhile, spend less than two hours a day on offline activities like dance, drama, or team sports.
To curb the negative effects of being chronically online, 27% of the respondents wanted phones to be banned in schools.
About 79% believe there must be a law requiring technology companies to implement strong privacy protections, like age verification or identity checks, into the platforms that children and teenagers use. (About 43% admit using social media before turning 13, the country's minimum legal age for doing so.)
The study also found gender-based experiences online. Young women (37%) were more prone to harassment compared to young men (28%). About 49% of young women "very often" compare their appearance or lifestyle to others, while 85% of them do it "sometimes."
About 43% of young women are also more likely to set up fake accounts versus 36% of young men.
Some 79% of young women have also been influenced to purchase something because of social media platforms like TikTok, compared to 59% of young men.
“The younger generation was promised technology that would create opportunities, improve access to information, and bring people closer to their friends. Yet our research shows that alongside this, it is exposing young people to risk and, in many cases, negatively affecting their quality of life," BSI Chief Executive Susan Taylor Martin said.
“Technology can only be a force for good if it is underpinned by trust that people's privacy, security, safety, and wellbeing will not be compromised in the process," Martin added. "The companies creating these services must prioritize the needs of end-users of all ages, especially adolescents, to ensure their health and privacy are protected.”
The BSI noted that the study comes as UK tech firms react to new requirements set out by the Office of Communications, the regulatory body for the country's broadcasting, internet, telecommunications, and postal industries, to ensure young people are protected from online harm.
The UK government is also considering imposing a social media curfew by banning access to addictive social media apps at night, according to The Times.
The rest of the BSI report can be found here.
