13pc teens harassed in social media

Thirteen percent of the child participants in an online survey said they had been harassed on social media at least once.

“Around 3.3 percent were victims of harassment on multiple occasions. And another 3.3 percent closed their social media accounts due to harassment,” according to the survey conducted by Unicef recently.

Findings of the survey, participated by 11,821 children aged between 13 and 18, were revealed yesterday at the launching of Unicef's year-long campaign on internet safety in the capital's Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre.

The survey says 81.2 percent children spend time on social media and 90 percent children use mobile phones to access the internet.

Of the participants, 52.3 percent said they would become friends with unknown persons on social media.

Presenting the findings, Sakil Faizullah, communication manager of Unicef Bangladesh, said 67.4 respondents accessed the internet for learning purposes while 21.4 percent said they do it to make new friends.

Over 62 percent said they remain cautious about sharing any information on the internet while 29 percent they interacted with unknown persons but did not share any personal pictures or other information.