It turns out, life online is getting a bit “busy” for us Aussies. Microsoft’s latest Global Online Safety Survey is out, and it shows sixty-two percent of us hit a digital speed bump this year.
Now, if you’re a Boomer or Gen X, you’re likely losing sleep over scams—but for the teens, it’s all about tackling cyberbullying. The good news? Our kids are tougher than we think. In fact, eighty percent of Aussie teens are now speaking up or reporting trouble the moment it happens.
Australian highlights from the survey;
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62% of Australians experienced at least one significant online risk in the past year.
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Top online risks in Australia as reported by respondents:
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Hate speech: 31%
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Online frauds and scams: 30%
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Cyberbullying: 30%
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Online fraud and scams are the #1 online worry for most age groups, including 50% of Gen X and Boomers, while 44% of teens say cyberbullying is their top concern.
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32% of Australians now use generative AI weekly or more, up from 11% in 2023, with highest adoption among Millennials and Teens.
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92% of Australians express some level of worry about AI’s impact, with top concerns including:
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Sexual/online abuse (78%)
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Scams (77%)
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AI hallucinations (71%)
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Only 23% of Australians feel confident they can reliably distinguish real images from AI?generated images, with most performing worse than chance in authenticity tests.
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80% of teens who experienced an online risk talked to someone or reported it, and 74% took defensive actions such as blocking or closing accounts.
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96% of teens say they would advise a friend to report and seek support if affected by deepfake intimate imagery.
You can read more of the Australian results from the survey HERE.
