Abstract:

The Erasmus+ project Online Safety: Protecting Teenagers from Antisocial Behavior on Social Media addresses the rising risks teenagers face online, focusing on cyberbullying’s impact on mental health. Through engaging training, we aim to enhance teenagers’ social media literacy, emotional regulation, and empathy skills.

To inform training development, we conducted a needs analysis through surveys and interviews. A survey included 163 teenagers from the Netherlands (45%), Sweden (30%), and other EU countries (25%). Their mean age was 16; 52% were male, 40% female, 4% non-binary, and 4% preferred not to disclose gender.

The most popular social media platforms were WhatsApp (93%), YouTube (90%), Instagram (73%), and TikTok (62%); Telegram (42%) and Discord (42%) were also widely used. Social media is a primary news source (77%), surpassing newspapers (40%) and TV (38%). While skeptical of influencers, teenagers trust online experts and traditional media. Many are familiar with fact-checking methods but rarely use them.

A significant number of teenagers interact with strangers online, with over half regularly communicating with unknown individuals. Shared content includes music and games (60%), news (45%), personal thoughts (42%), and life updates (42%). Alarmingly, 21% share personal photos/videos, 10% share their location, and 25% share details about school or studies—leaving a digital footprint vulnerable to profiling and targeted manipulation.

Most teenagers recognize how easy it is to impersonate someone online, yet many separate their online and offline interactions. While 23% never experienced unwanted online behaviour, the majority faced negative incidents: being blocked (52%), receiving hurtful comments (44%), being muted (38%), and experiencing deliberate emotional harm (31%). Bullying and harassment were reported by 17%, while 8% had their photos shared without consent and 6% had personal information exposed.

Teenagers consider sharing private information without consent the most harmful online behavior, followed by bullying and group rejection (cancelling). Insults, blocking, and ignoring are perceived as less damaging. These insights highlight their strong emphasis on privacy and social acceptance.

The survey confirms that teenagers spend significant time on social media for socializing, news consumption, and meeting new people. While they recognise online risks and value privacy, they often underestimate the impact of sharing general personal information—such as interests and opinions—which can be used for profiling and targeted manipulation. Many also struggle to bridge their online and offline interactions, reinforcing social media’s influence on their perceptions.

To address these gaps and promote safer online behaviors, our training will equip teenagers with essential digital resilience skills, including:
- Developing critical thinking in digital spaces.
- Fact-checking and verifying information to counter misinformation and manipulation.
- Crafting a positive online profile to enhance digital well-being and reputation.
- Practicing empathetic online communication.
- Identifying and addressing harmful behavior, including hate speech, trolling, and cyberbullying.
- Reporting unsafe behavior and seeking support.

By strengthening these competencies, the training will empower teenagers to navigate social media more safely, critically evaluate online interactions, and build positive, ethical digital identities.

Keywords:

Social media, teenagers, online safety, training, needs analysis, behaviour.