Almost half of young people would prefer a world without internet, UK study finds

英国研究：近半数年轻人渴望没有互联网的世界

Almost half of young people would rather live in a world where the internet does not exist, according to a new survey.

一项新调查表明，近半数年轻人更倾向于生活在一个没有互联网的世界中。

The research reveals that nearly 70% of 16- to 21-year-olds feel worse about themselves after spending time on social media. Half (50%) would support a "digital curfew" that would restrict their access to certain apps and sites past 10pm, while 46% said they would rather be young in a world without the internet altogether.

研究结果显示，近70%的16至21岁年轻人在使用社交媒体后，自我感觉会变差。其中，半数（50%）受访者支持实施“数字宵禁”政策，即在晚上10点后限制他们访问某些应用程序和网站；而46%的受访者则明确表示，他们更愿意生活在一个完全没有互联网的世界里。

A quarter of respondents spent four or more hours a day on social media, while 42% of those surveyed admitted to lying to their parents and guardians about what they do online.

调查还发现，四分之一的受访者每天在社交媒体上花费的时间长达4小时或更久，更有42%的受访者承认曾向父母和监护人隐瞒自己在网上的真实活动。

While online, 42% said they had lied about their age, 40% admitted to having a decoy or "burner" account, and 27% said they pretended to be a different person completely.

在上网过程中，不少年轻人也有着不为人知的一面：42%的受访者表示曾谎报年龄，40%承认拥有诱饵账号或“临时”账号，还有27%的受访者坦言曾完全伪装成另一个人。

The results came after the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, hinted that the government was weighing up the possibility of making cut-off times mandatory for certain apps such as TikTok and Instagram.

此前，英国科技大臣彼得·凯尔曾暗示，政府正在考虑强制要求 TikTok 和 Instagram 等应用程序设置使用截止时间，以保护年轻人的身心健康。

Rani Govender, the policy manager for child safety online at the NSPCC, said that digital curfews, while helpful, could not stop children being exposed to harmful materials online without other measures being put in place.

对此，英国全国防止虐待儿童学会（NSPCC）的儿童在线安全政策经理拉尼·戈文德表示，虽然数字宵禁政策能在一定程度上帮助年轻人远离网络有害内容，但如果不采取其他配套措施，仍无法从根本上解决问题。

"We need to make clear that a digital curfew alone is not going to protect children from the risks they face online. They will be able to see all these risks at other points of the day and they will still have the same impact," she said.

她说：“我们需要明确的是，仅靠数字宵禁政策是无法全面保护儿童免受网络风险的侵害的。因为儿童在其他时段仍然会面临这些风险，这些风险对他们的影响依然存在。”

Govender added that the primary focus for companies and the government was to ensure kids are using "much safer and less addictive sites".

戈文德进一步补充道，企业和政府的首要任务是确保儿童能够使用到更安全、更不容易上瘾的网站。

The study, conducted by the British Standards Institution, surveyed 1,293 young people and found that 27% of respondents have shared their location online with strangers.

这项由英国标准协会开展的研究共调查了1293名年轻人。结果显示，有27%的受访者曾在网上与陌生人分享过自己的位置信息。

In the same survey, three-quarters said they had spent more time online as a result of the pandemic, while 68% said they felt the time they spent online was detrimental to their mental health.

在同一次调查中，四分之三的受访者表示，由于疫情的影响，他们在网上花费的时间明显增多；而68%的受访者则直言，他们感觉上网时间对自己的心理健康造成了负面影响。

Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation, said it was "clear that young people are aware of the risks online and, what's more, they want action from tech companies to protect them".

自杀预防慈善机构“莫莉·罗斯基金会”的首席执行官安迪·伯罗斯对此表示：“显然，年轻人已经深刻意识到了上网的风险，更重要的是，他们希望科技公司能够采取切实有效的行动来保护他们。”

He added that algorithms can provide content that "can quickly spiral and take young people down rabbit holes of harmful and distressing material through no fault of their own". New laws were "urgently required to finally embed a safe by design approach to regulation that puts the needs of children and society ahead of those of big tech", he said.

他进一步指出，算法有时会推送一些不良内容，这些内容“可能会迅速让年轻人陷入有害和令人痛苦的内容深渊，而他们本身并无过错”。他强调：“当前亟需出台新法律，将‘安全设计’理念真正融入监管之中，将儿童和社会需求置于大型科技公司利益之上，以确保网络环境的健康与安全。”