Tuesday 6 February 2018

Social Media Responsibility: 64% of people in Ireland think that the acceptable age to start using social media is between 14 and 17 years!

iReach Insights Press Release   
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  • 55% think that more restrictions should be put in place on content posted on social media.
  • 64% of adults in Ireland think that between 14-17 years old is the appropriate age to start using social media.
  • 66% of people in Ireland are a member of at least one social media platform.
  • 89% of these are members of Facebook, followed by 68% who are subscribed to YouTube and 42% signed up to Twitter.
  • 62% of women in Ireland think there should be more restrictions and policies put in place on social media platforms.
  • Over the half of people in Ireland (59%) think that the individual and the social media platform itself are equally responsible for the content posted on the platform.
  • Almost two-thirds (64%) of adults in Ireland think that between 14-17 years is the appropriate age to start using social media.

It has been reported widely in the media about the growing issue of technology and smartphone addiction amongst the younger generation, meaning the importance of education and regulation surrounding online networking and social media has never been more vital. Today is Safer Internet Day, which is an EU wide initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people. Facebook is making it easier for users to find privacy settings, establishing a new privacy centre in an effort to give users more control of their information. “Privacy controls are only powerful if you know how to find and use them,” Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, said in a blog post. 

Despite having the option to change your privacy settings 13% still have their Facebook privacy on Public. The announcement was made in anticipation of the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulations, which comes into effect on 25 May this year. Three quarters of people are consuming some sort of social media content and 66% are members of a social media platform. It is no surprise that social media plays a bigger role in society and that impact will probably increase in the future.

iReach Insights conducted a nationally representative survey and 1,000 adults were asked about their opinion about social media in general, who the responsibility lies with when it comes to posting on social media and the restrictions that should be imposed.


As mentioned above, two thirds of adults in Ireland (66%) are a member of a social media platform.  81% of people in the 16-34 age group, 63% in the 35-54 group and 43% in the 55+ group are a member of at least one social media platform, revealing the popularity of social media platforms amongst the younger age cohort. From the 66% in total, 89% are a member of Facebook, followed by 68% of YouTube, 42% of Twitter, 39% of Instagram and 30% of LinkedIn [28% Snapchat, 23% Pinterest, 22% Skype].

The majority of people in Ireland (55%) think that more restrictions and policies regarding the content that can be posted on social media should be put in place. Interestingly, 62% of women share this opinion whereas only 47% of men do.
Only 7% say that the existing restrictions and policies are too strict. Not forgetting that 25% are unsure of the restrictions and policies that are currently in place. In general, three quarters (74%) think that it isn’t appropriate to share shocking images or videos on social media platforms surrounding sensitive topics.


When it comes to the responsibility for content that is posted online on social media, 59% state the individual is responsible. All the same, 59% think the social media platform itself is equally responsible. 34% place the responsibility on online regulatory authorities, 14% on the government and 8% on the police. Understandably, 83% of adults in Ireland say, that smartphones should offer more settings to protect children and teenagers.
 
When talking about responsibility and the potential damage social media platforms can cause, it is important to mention privacy settings which can protect people online to some extent. For the Top 4 platforms most used by people in Ireland: on Facebook 17% set their account on ‘totally private’. Over half (66%) on Facebook set their account to ‘private’, 13% on ‘public’ [4% don’t know their settings].

Ireland has opted for the lowest age permissible under upcoming EU data law which is 13 years old. In Ireland, it means that Facebook, Google, Twitter or any other company can mostly (though not fully) use a 13-year-old's personal information in the same way they would use an adult's information. Almost two-thirds (64%) of people in Ireland think that the acceptable age to start using social media platforms is between 14 and 17 years and not any younger. 23% state the right age is 18+. 11% state that the age between 11-13 is acceptable and the minority (2%) thinks 10 years or younger is appropriate.

Even though social media platforms are not new anymore, a lot of people still have big concerns about them and wish for stricter policies and restrictions. Facebook is moving in the right direction and making the privacy settings more visible for their users. So what else can be done to minimize potential negative consequences and to bring out the more positive impacts of social media?
For more information on these research findings please feel free to call iReach on 01-2143740 or email to oisin.byrne@ireachhq.com


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