The fact that social networks have invaded our daily lives is indisputable. According to reports from ISTAT, in 2024 the Internet penetration rate among Italian households reached 86.2%: regardless of people’s age or place of origin, in the current scenario it is almost impossible to remain unaffected by the effects of the web.

Too often, however, the possible “side effects” that can accompany the use of these online platforms are not adequately taken into account: new media have proven to be fertile ground for dangerous trends, especially for younger and inexperienced users who often prove unable to use these tools wisely. In this regard, one of the main problems is the lack of adequate education on the use of social media among young people, who, according to the data, are the most vulnerable victims, but also the main users of these platforms.

One of the greatest risks associated with irresponsible use of the internet is undoubtedly child pornography: a phenomenon involving hundreds of criminal organizations and millions of adult users who produce or use sexually explicit images or videos of minors on a daily basis. nbsp;Starting in 2022, Protection4Kids launched the Education4Kids project dedicated to combating the problem of online child pornography by educating children on the responsible use of the internet. 

During the 2023/24 and 2024/25 school years, as part of the Education4Kids project, Protection4Kids held a series of training sessions at the Salesian Institute “E. di Sardagna” in Castello di Godego (TV). Before the series of meetings began, the young students at the institute were asked to complete a short anonymous questionnaire about their relationship with social media. The data emerging from the survey deserves careful and in-depth analysis in the following paragraphs.

Young people: the most vulnerable 

To better understand the survey results, it is essential to describe the context and characteristics of the respondents. Among the 313 questionnaires collected (238 during the 2023/24 school year and 75 in 2024/25), it emerged that 79% of respondents (248 pupils) stated that they were between 10 and 13 years old, 20% (64 students) were between the ages of 13 and 15, and only one respondent was over the age of 15.

These data certify that the subjects who completed the questionnaire fall entirely within the adolescent and pre-adolescent age group. It is precisely during this delicate period of growth that most young people start to have a smartphone and, consequently, come into contact with the world of social media.

When asked “Do you have a smartphone/cell phone?” in the questionnaire, 159 of the 238 students interviewed in 23/24 answered affirmatively. The same percentage of “YES” answers, equal to 66%, was also achieved during the following school year when, out of 75 respondents, 50 answered that they had a smartphone: 2 out of 3. These percentages clearly highlight the importance of Protection4Kids activities in educating young people to deal with the risks associated with inappropriate use of the web.

Hours fly by, risks remain

At this point in the survey, it is natural to wonder how much young people use their smartphones. According to research conducted in 2020 by the Scientific Observatory of Movimento Etico Digitale, a non-profit association directed by teacher and social media coach Davide Dal Maso, on a sample of 2,000 young people between the ages of 11 and 18, just under 80% of young people spend more than 4 hours a day on social media: a figure which, when multiplied by 365 days, equates to spending 2 months a year on online platforms. 

When the question was repeated in the Protection4Kids questionnaire, the results were slightly different. Out of a sample of 278 students, two-thirds of respondents said they spent less than 2 hours a day on the phone, while only 8% spent at least 4 hours. The discrepancies highlighted may be due to several factors: undoubtedly, Movimento Etico Digitale’s decision to conduct the survey in the midst of the Covid-19 emergency influenced the results obtained. In a period of restrictions when smartphones were the only means of communicating with the outside world, it was inevitable that young people would spend more time on the web.

In addition, the age range of the respondents may also have influenced the differences that emerged: as already mentioned, while the 2020 questionnaire targeted young people aged between 11 and 18, the questionnaire prepared by Protection4Kids was aimed exclusively at middle school classes. It should also be noted that the difference in the number of respondents may have affected, albeit partially, the different percentages that emerged. Beyond the differences found, for the purposes of our analysis, it is clear that most young people today spend a lot of time on their phones. This time, if not accompanied by adequate education on the use of the internet, could prove very dangerous for them. 

Social media isn’t what it used to be…

The next step is to understand which platforms young people spend their time on. In the aforementioned questionnaire, Protection4Kids asked young students to indicate which social media platforms they used most often, presenting them with a list of eight major social media platforms.

The “side effects” of social media: between dangers and… fear!

Once we understand the current context—i.e., which platforms young people use and for how long—and are aware of the risks associated with irresponsible smartphone use, it is now important to understand how often these risks occur.

In this regard, to the question “Have you ever been contacted by a stranger via social media?”, 98 out of 307 responses were affirmative.
Although at first glance 31.9% may seem like a minority, looking at the data from a more responsible point of view, it emerges that almost 1 in 3 young people have encountered this situation.

While it is true that in some cases “unknown” users have a genuine interest in making new acquaintances (and this is one of the main purposes for which these platforms were created), at the same time it is well known that often behind these profiles there are people with intentions that are anything but positive. Alongside the responses just analyzed are those relating to the question concerning feelings of fear experienced due to something that happened on social networks.

In this case too, around 30% of the just over 300 respondents said they had experienced this feeling: a figure that needs no further explanation and which perhaps better than anything else describes the risks and consequences of incorrect use of online platforms.