National Cyber Security Alliance Survey Reveals the Complex Digital Lives of American Teens and Parents

A National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) study of online safety attitudes and behaviors reveals a complex relationship between American teens and parents. The US-based survey, Keeping Up with Generation App: NCSA Parent/Teen Online Safety Survey, which interviewed 804 online teens between the ages of 13 and 17 and a separate sample of 810 online parents, found several signs of an apparent digital disconnect, illustrated by the finding that 60 percent of teen Internet users have created online accounts that their parents are unaware of – more than double the 28 percent of online parents who suspect their teens have secret accounts. The study also found a high reliance by teens on peer-to-peer support with 43 percent of respondents saying friends have sought their support because they encountered issues online.

The survey also highlights an array of issues teens face online and how they respond:
Thirty-nine percent of teen Internet users report someone has been mean or cruel to them online in the past year. Fifty-two percent of those incidents involved a response to something they said or did, 45 percent involved something about their appearance, and about one in four say the content was about their sexual orientation, gender or race.
When teens face a serious problem online, 40 percent say that a friend would be the first person they turn to, while 85 percent of parents say they hope their child would come to them for help.
Across the board, teens report that they are “very concerned” about someone:
Accessing their account without permission (47%)
Sharing personal information about them online (43%)
Having a photo or video shared that they wanted to keep private (38%)
Receiving unwanted communications that make them uncomfortable (32%)