1.3 Responsible and Safe Use of Media and Digital Services

A couple of decades ago, most media content passed through an editor in chief who reviewed what was to be published. However, in today's digital media world, especially on social media, the users’ knowledge about laws and regulations governing what may be shared and who is responsible has become more important.

In addition, the users’ awareness of privacy and security issues and possible risks when sharing content online or on social media is another aspect of media literacy to consider. These risks include personal information being spread without consent or being victim of scams or phishing. Responsible and safe use is also about ethics, about considerate behaviour recommended online, so called ‘netiquette’, for example asking for permission before tagging a person on social media. Knowledge and understanding of responsible and safe use may give increased value and effectiveness in the use of media and digital services.

The results in this section of the survey are based on respondents' self-assessment in regard to safe and responsible use.

Personal Responsibility on Social Media

A large majority of respondents in the survey view it as their own responsibility to ensure their social media posts comply with regulations and laws, the mean result being close to or over 4.5 of maximum 5. Most respondents also believe they should seek permission before tagging family and friends or posting pictures or videos of others on social media. There seems to be a consensus between the countries about own social media behaviour.

Figure 1.3.1. Attitudes to social media behaviour and safety issues by country (percent)

Mean

Sweden: 4,2

Norway: 4,3

Denmark: 4,2

Finland: 4,4

Iceland: 4,3

Mean

Sweden: 4,4

Norway: 4,5

Denmark: 4,4

Finland: 4,4

Mean

Sweden: 4,4

Norway: 4,5

Denmark: 4,4

Finland: 4,4

Iceland: 4,7

Attitudes to social media behaviour

The majority in all age groups tend to agree at least to a certain extent with the statements concerning social media behaviours, safety and personal responsibility, but younger adults do so to a lesser extent compared to older adults. The result shows that age matters, but whether this is a general shift towards less ethical behaviour in the years to come or if it is connected to respondents age remains to be said.

Figure 1.3.2. Attitudes to social media behaviour and safety issues by age (percent)

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,9

25–34 yrs: 4,0

35–44 yrs: 4,2

45–54 yrs: 4,3

55–64 yrs: 4,4

65+: 4,6

Mean

16–24 yrs: 4,1

25–34 yrs: 4,2

35–44 yrs: 4,4

45–54 yrs: 4,6

55–64 yrs: 4,6

65+: 4,7

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,7

25–34 yrs: 3,8

35–44 yrs: 3,9

45–54 yrs: 4,0

55–64 yrs: 4,2

65+: 4,3

Actions to protect safety online

The most common action taken to protect online safety and privacy is blocking people, organizations, or companies. A relatively large share, four out of ten, has also deleted their browser search history. This seems to be particularly common in Finland, where almost six out of ten respondents have done the same. Avoiding chatting with strangers online is the next most common action taken to protect online safety and privacy, particularly in Iceland. More than one in five of the respondents (20–31 percent) have reported inappropriate content during the past three months prior to the survey which indicates a readiness to use the opportunities available.

Figure 1.3.3. Actions taken to protect online safety and privacy by country (percent)

Respondents aged 65 years and older tend to have taken less of the listed actions to protect their online safety and privacy. The younger the person is, the more likely it is that they have taken at least some action. This is probably to be expected considering the differences in social media usage between age groups.

The greatest variation between age groups can be found when it comes to deleting social media profiles or accounts and in changing personal settings or privacy protection on social media.

Figure 1.3.4. Actions taken to protect online safety and privacy, by age (percent)

Encountering false information

Being media literate include to have strategies to apply when something questionable or suspicious occur. Mindful media use and performing safety actions may then reduce risk of falling victim of e.g. fraud. The survey result show that the most common action taken when suspecting information in an article, post, or news report to be false, is to compare it with other trusted media or news sources. This is applied in particular among respondents in Sweden and Finland. Performing an online search for further investigation is another strategy commonly used, especially in Iceland. Among Finnish and Icelandic respondents, it is also more common to check whether the web address looks trustworthy compared to in the other three countries.

Figure 1.3.5. Actions taken to check false information, by country (percent)

Younger adults more often than older adults tend to ask someone they trust about information in an article, post or news report they suspect to be false. Several of the strategies for addressing possible false information are most commonly used by adults aged 25 to 44 years old, such as online search to investigate further and checking the web address. Almost one in five (18 percent) in the age group 65 years and over does not take any action at all.

Figure 1.3.6. Actions taken to check false information, by age (percent)

Key insights

Personal responsibility for compliance and online etiquette is widely endorsed. Respondents report a very high sense of personal responsibility to comply with laws/regulations on social media and broadly agree they should seek permission before tagging or posting images of others. Agreement is significantly lower among younger adults, although the majority in the youngest group still agree.
Security and privacy actions are common but vary by country and age. The most frequent action is blocking people/organizations. Deleting browser history is also almost as widespread, but with large variations between countries. It is significantly less common to report inappropriate content, but about one in four respondents nonetheless did this during the last three months.
The use of safety and privacy actions decreases successively with age. Younger adults are more active in general in regard to safety and privacy protection. The largest age gaps appear in deleting profiles/accounts, changing privacy settings, and reporting unsuitable content online.
Respondents generally rely on techniques to double-check information when encountering suspected false content. The most common responses are to compare information with trusted news sources and to search online for more information. Another common strategy is to check whether the web address looks trustworthy.
Younger respondents are more likely to act on suspected false information. Younger adults are much more likely to use at least one of the suggested strategies than older adults. They also are more likely to ask someone they trust compared to older respondents.