Refuge and Risk 

Analysing the responses of almost 15,000 young people across the country, this report describes how vulnerable teens can be supported to have safer online lives.

But due to their offline vulnerability these young people are considerably more at risk online. This report details the types of risk they encounter by the vulnerabilities they have. If they do experience harm, they can suffer more acutely than most children, are often scared away from the digital world by this experience or conversely, begin to take risks in their desire to be accepted by others. 

This is described as a Double Whammy. Not only are they upset by what happened in the original incident, but their social development can suffer if they stay offline. Or they may be so eager to be admired and loved that they will do anything to achieve that. Their confidence often takes a dip. Some become angry and this can play out online in aggression or risk taking. This report proposes new ways of educating young people about online risk and calls for greater understanding of their motivation, the social pressures they must balance, and the extent to which they are targeted by others.

This is the second of two reports by Youthworks in partnership with Internet Matters.  

Research Programme Youthworks with the University of Kingston: New papers will be uploaded here in Spring 2021 supported by e-Nurture.