Teenagers and young adults are sometimes afraid of a completely digital future. As a new study by the German Institute for Trust and Security on the Internet (DIVSI) shows, skepticism about the digital world is growing in Internet Generation of all places.
According to the study, the 14 to 24-year-olds are the first generation in which everyone is online, daily and mostly mobile. But the Internet is a blessing and a curse for this group at the same time: 69 percent say that the digital world makes them happy. Also, they mainly connect with the network opportunities, it is for them "practical and inspiring," as study director Silke Borgstedt says Sinus Institute.
On the other hand, they increasingly fear risks such as personal insults, misinformation and lack of technical understanding. Peer pressure and excessive demands create additional discomfort. The study authors speak of a "fundamental change" in the use and perception of social media: "The hype is over - skepticism is increasing."
So many young people see a strong brutalization of the manners on the net and behave more cautiously. Two-thirds of 14-24 year olds perceive the Internet as an area in which to expect to be insulted or insulted. For 38 percent, this is a reason to refrain from expressing their opinion on the Internet.
Deputy DIVSI director Joanna Schmölz considers this fatal. "We have to ask ourselves what it says about the state of our democratic society when young people stop expressing their opinions in their most important space of exchange for fear of insults and 'shitstorms'," she said.
Giffey calls study results "terrifying signal"
Federal Family Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD) also spoke of a "frightening signal". The young people "need support and support so that they can use the network carefree".
The fear of publishing embarrassing or intimate posts (plus 18 percentage points) and of being deceived by fake user profiles, so-called fake profiles (plus 16 percent), as well as the survey of 1730 young people, also increased significantly compared to the previous study from 2014 continues to show.
Nearly one in three is worried about becoming or becoming addicted to the Internet. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) feel they are wasting time on the Internet. 19 percent are even annoyed by it. The "felt dependence" creates a diffuse discomfort, says Borgstedt. "He who discovers is marginalized or socially dependent".
As the U25 study goes on to show, 41 percent and therefore around four million of young people and young adults are afraid of a completely digital future. That's almost twice as many as in 2014.
The sensitive topic of data protection is more of a side-event for the 14 to 24-year-olds. Only 30 percent believe in the security of their personal data in the network. One in five does not even care what happens to his photos or private messages. However, according to the experts, this is not indifference - but rather resignation and overburdening.