Not strangers, but people they know: Survey reveals who young people fear on the internet

Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) and The Quantum Hub (TQH) convened the Youth in the Loop Summit 2026 on January 14. The event marked the launch of SCREEN (Student Cyber Resilience, Education and Empowerment Nationwide), a nationwide survey of nearly 4,000 young people aged 11–30 that reveals interesting trends in young people's online digital habits. Most of the young people in this sample are from economically disadvantaged communities.

Unwanted contact from known persons (38%) exceeds stranger-initiated contact (23%). This finding challenges the dominant "stranger danger" narrative that has shaped online safety discourse and suggests that risk arises substantially within trusted networks: friends, acquaintances, classmates, and sometimes family members. The 17 to 18 age group reports the highest rates of unwanted contact from known persons at 53%, marking this transition period as particularly vulnerable.

Social comparison high in females

Gendered patterns emerge in digital behaviour and its emotional impact. Females report higher rates of negative social comparison, with 31.5% feeling worse after comparing their lives or bodies online, compared to 25.7% of males. Males, meanwhile, report higher levels of gaming compulsion, nearly a quarter find it hard to stop playing, versus 17.5% of females, and are more likely to share content they later regret, suggesting greater impulsivity or differing platform use.

Compulsive scrolling is also slightly more common among males, while sleep disruption shows no gender difference. Overall, 60% of young people report negative emotional responses to prolonged digital use, around a quarter experience anxiety, overwhelm or FOMO, a similar share feel tired or mentally exhausted, and 23% report guilt or regret, pointing to a mismatch between online habits and personal values.


Friends as primary sources of support

"The SCREEN findings make it clear that young people are not asking to be excluded from the internet; they are asking for safer, fairer, and more transparent digital spaces," said Aprajita Bharti, co-founder, Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC). "Policy conversations must reflect how the internet is actually experienced by young users, and the SCREEN survey aims to uncover their online experiences. Young people often act as CTOs (chief technical officers) of their households, especially in low-income communities and rural areas, therefore, their agency and safety both need to be balanced."

The survey found that friends and parents are the main sources of support after negative online experiences, with about one-third of respondents citing each. Siblings were approached by nearly one in five, while seniors and teachers by around one in six. Notably, 14.5% told no one, highlighting a lack of support for a significant minority. AI chatbots remain marginal but emerging, with 6.4% reporting their use despite their recent introduction.

Connectivity and speed remain dominant concern online

When asked what to improve about online experiences, internet connectivity and speed emerged as the dominant concern. Gaming-related concerns ranked second, encompassing requests for new games and concerns about gaming addiction. This prominence reflects the significant role of gaming in young Indian digital culture, particularly among males and certain age groups.

Cybercrime, scams, and fraud made up 6% of responses, encompassing issues such as online fraud, hacking, financial scams, betting apps, and blackmail, as well as demands for stronger punishment for offenders. Bullying, harassment, and hate speech concerns followed at 5.4%, encompassing trolling, discrimination, toxic behaviour, body shaming, and cancel culture.

The Youth in the Loop Summit 2026 concluded with a shared recognition that online safety in India cannot be addressed through regulation alone. Instead, it requires sustained collaboration, one that places young people not just at the receiving end of policy, but at the centre of shaping it.