Brazil’s teenagers lack support to deal with social media, survey says
A survey carried out in April showed that 90 percent of Brazilians over the age of 18 who have access to the internet believe that adolescents do not receive the emotional and social support they need to deal with the digital environment—especially social networks. The survey interviewed a thousand online Brazilians from all regions and walks of life, aged 18 or over.
The margin of error is three percentage points for the total sample, with a 95 percent confidence interval.
According to the survey, nine out of 10 Brazilians believe that young people do not have the necessary emotional and social support, while 70 percent advocate the presence of psychologists in schools as an essential strategy to change this landscape.
The poll was carried out by Porto Digital in partnership with Offerwise, a company specializing in market research in Latin America and the Hispanic world, following the repercussions of a TV series that addressed the dark side of young people immersed in the digital world and the gulf between parents and their kids.
In the opinion of 57 percent of the respondents, bullying and school violence are among the main mental health challenges. Also among the chief issues currently faced by young people are depression and anxiety (48%) and aesthetic pressure (32%).
According to the president of Porto Digital, Pierre Lucena, the Netflix series Adolescence has highlighted the need to debate the issue.
“Caring for young people must be a shared commitment, involving schools, families, companies, and governments. This study shows that it’s not enough to discuss technological innovation. We need to humanize it and place it at the service of society,” he argued.
Time online
The survey shows that one of the tools used by parents is the control over the time children spend online. According to the study, for kids up to the age of 12, control tends to be stricter and more constant, often with monitoring apps. However, only 20 percent of parents said they intended to use some kind of control tool in the future.
For teenagers aged 13 through 17, supervision tends to shrink. Parents still monitor, but in a more flexible way, allowing for greater autonomy.
Offerwise General Director Julio Calil believes the scenario requires the creation of welcoming guidance spaces for both parents and children.
“The results of the survey show us that the people feel the need for a joint effort to create safer and more supportive spaces in schools, especially in the face of the early and intense use of social networks,” he noted.
Platforms
Recently, the main online platforms changed their rules on the moderation of content published, making it more difficult to identify accounts or publications with content considered criminal.
In the view of Luciano Meira, associate professor of psychology at the Federal University of Pernambuco, this decision seems to prioritize the commercial and political interests of network owners.
“This decision reduces the social responsibility of big techs, the corporations that control the platforms, and has a direct impact on the proliferation of hate, disinformation, and harmful content across various layers, especially among vulnerable populations. Many young people are more exposed to inappropriate content without moderation and, of course, when it comes to disinformation, this attacks institutions and democracy itself,” he said.
A counterpoint
At the other end of the debate, the Brazilian Supreme Court is judging the constitutionality of the 2014 law that established the Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (Marco Civil da Internet), according to which providers, websites, and social networks can only be held responsible for offensive or harmful content posted by users if they fail to comply with a court order to remove it.
Dr. Meira, who holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of California and a master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology, pointed out that the absence of a ruling on the issue could lead to a judicial overload.
“There could be a considerable surge in legal cases precisely because of the lack of these preventive efforts. Freedom of expression can be preserved without leaving responsible moderation aside,” he said.
In addition, a bill known as the fake news bill—the main piece of legislation for regulating digital platforms—is currently being discussed in Brazil’s National Congress. It deals with platforms’ civil liability and includes elements to prevent the dissemination of illegal and harmful content to individuals or communities.
“Those who advocate the total de-regulation of networks certainly have a fragile and inconsistent idea of what freedom is. Restricted freedom without social control undermines our ability to build and evolve as civilization. So, clearly, self-regulation is insufficient, especially when it comes to companies that seek profit through advertising or commerce—in short, the big platforms, the big techs,” he warned.
Boundaries
Even though no final decision has been made on the issue, the professor believes it is necessary to build trust in the school environment, in the family, and in other spheres where children and young people are welcome, in order to prevent them from being subjected to hate speech and bullying.
Another point advocated by the specialist is the establishment of clear limits on the use of the internet and social networks, such as time spent online and clear relationship types.
“This won’t be achieved if there isn’t an open dialog in which children and adolescents understand there is inappropriate content, that they need to have a critical sense […]. However, at this age, they simply cannot grasp the risks yet. That’s why they need an adult who has at least a keener intuition to identify forms of cyberbullying, excessive exposure, inappropriate content, contact with strangers and other types of relationships,” he said.
Finally, the professor argued that the real world should not be left out and mentioned the legislation banning the use of cell phones in Brazilian schools.
“More recently, schools have seen some movement around getting children back to building relationships in the physical world. By banning the use of devices in schools, for instance, they are inviting children into an existence that is also offline. Ultimately, a balance must be struck between these worlds, so we can build lasting social relationships based on trust between people and not just on algorithms,” he concluded.
