Ditch the Label, a leading anti-bullying charity, has published research looking at children and young people’s experiences of being subjected to, witnessing and perpetrating bullying in online gaming environments.
Over half (57%) said they had been bullied playing an online game, and 40% of young people said they had received unwanted sexual contact in an online game. In terms of a solution, 53% thought his kind of bullying could be prevented with investment of extra human moderation of live gaming.
The survey was conducted within the Habbo game, over a period of four days. Habbo is a virtual hotel where millions of people from around the world go to chat, play games and make friends. The survey asked 2,515 young people aged 12 - 25 about their experiences of bullying while playing online games.
Key Findings:
- 57% of respondents reported having been bullied in an online game
- 47% of young people had received threats from someone in an online game
- 40% of young people reported receiving unwanted sexual contact in an online game
- 22% of respondents had quit an online game because of bullying and a further 24% had considered it.
- 20% of people reported having bullied someone in an online game
- 74% of young people felt that bullying within online games should be taken more seriously
- 53% of young people thought extra human moderation could help to prevent bullying in online games
Find out more about international anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label here.
Find the research document here.
First published 05 January 2018
