The Australian Government has released the report from the 2023 Online Safety Issues Survey, which focusses on the types of online harm that Australians experience.
The 2023 Online Safety Issues Survey explored emerging online harms and builds on the findings from the 2022 National Online Safety Survey.
The survey of 2922 adults and 833 children explored their experiences of a range of online harms, and attitudes around the role of schools and government in prevention and education of online safety.
Key insights of the survey included that certain groups of Australians experience more online harms, including those who speak a language other than English at home, those with disability, those who identify as LGBTQIA+, and those who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Young people also experience online harms at a higher rate than older people.
The survey also explored the different types of negative online experiences of different cohorts. For example, cyberbullying is the most common type of online harms experienced by Australian children. In fact, more than one-third of children surveyed who have experienced online harm reported they have been called offensive names or been ridiculed or made fun of online.
The survey was conducted by the Social Research Centre on behalf of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
For more information
- Read the 2023 Online Safety Issues Survey—Summary report