Online safety

Living peacefully and feeling safe

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Metric

Proportion of people who have experienced online harm or negative content in the last 12 months

Why this matters

Online safety is increasingly important as operating in an online space is the norm for most people and affects many aspects of people’s lives.

Progress

Negative online experiences can come in a variety of forms, including being sent unwanted content, scams, impersonation, and offensive communication.

In 2022, a national survey conducted by the eSafety Commissioner asked Australian adults aged 18 to 65 years about their online experiences. The survey found:

  • 75% had at least one negative online experience in the last 12 months, an increase from 58% in 2019
  • 32% were sent unwanted inappropriate content (up from 14% in 2019)
  • 30% were called offensive names (up from 12% in 2019)
  • 25% had personal information used without consent (up from 11% in 2019)
  • 24% had things said to them to offend, distress or harm (up from 11% in 2019).
  1. This graph does not display the full list of negative online experiences. For the full list, see the report on Adults' negative online experiences.
  2. Does not include experiences with scams, online fraud, or device virus/malware.
Data Source
eSafety Commissioner, Adults' negative online experiences, 2022

Differences across groups

Findings from the 2021 eSafety Commissioner Kids Online survey found that experiences of harm online differ across groups. 

Survey results about the digital experiences of LGBTIQ+ teens show:

  • 80% had seen potentially harmful content in the past year (compared with 63% for all young people)
  • 67% had been treated in a hurtful way online (compared with 56% for all young people)
  • 31% had experienced hate speech (compared with 15% for all young people)
  • 25% had been threatened with physical harm while online (compared with 16% for all young people).

Survey results about the digital experiences of young people with disability show:

  • 59% of young people with disability reported they had been treated in a hurtful or nasty way in the past 12 months
  • 16% were subjected to regular online abuse (weekly or more often)
  • 24% of teens with disability had been threatened with physical harm while online.