Do you prefer to chat to your friends online or in real life?

Do you prefer speaking to your friends in person or online?

A new study by Natterhub - an online safety platform - showed that only around a quarter (23%) of the 5-11-year-olds they spoke to, preferred to speak to their friends in person.

15,000 students, from 2,500 schools in the UK, took part in the survey to share how they feel about the internet and social media.

60% of the children surveyed said the best way to chat with their friends was online messaging, with 11% preferring to message whilst gaming, and 4% through streaming messaging.

The study was carried out between May 2020 to May 2021 when there were restrictions in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

During this time people were encouraged to stay at home and not meet up with people they didn't live with, meaning lots of people used online communication to keep in touch.

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The survey also asked about cyberbullying and found that over half (55%) had experienced bullying over their appearance online, and 91% wanted the internet to be a kinder place.

Over three quarters (76%) knew someone who had been trolled online, and half of children aged 10-11 said they regretted something they had posted online.

The participants were also asked what they thought about how their images were used online, with a quarter (25%) of children aged 8-9 unaware that anything they post online (without privacy settings in place) can be seen by people they don't know.

Over three quarters (76%) of 10-11 year olds said that images of themselves had been shared by someone else online, however only 12% had actually been asked for permission before posting the image.

Take a look at some of our tips for being better online.