Personal data security is a concern for 56% of young people

A new study conducted by sociologists at the Ural Federal University (UrFU) has found that 56% of young people between 18-30 are concerned about personal data security due to increasing video surveillance, monitoring, wiretapping, and online tracking. These are additional fears that complement and reinforce traditional ones rather than replacing them.

The research began in 2020, and the findings were published in April 2022 in the journal, Changing Societies & Personalities. Sociologists interviewed 1,050 people, and the respondents were asked to assess which digital risks concern them most.

According to the study, 55.8% of young people are concerned about total control when using video surveillance and monitoring software on their mobile devices. 48.5 percent of respondents believe they are vulnerable to wiretapping, social media content tracking, and the inability to keep correspondence private.

45.8% of young people are concerned about the media’s manipulative influence and the rise of fake news. Microchipping and genetic manipulation are both a source of concern for 27.8% and 18.1 percent of respondents, respectively.

42.9 percent of young people are concerned about Internet fraudsters, hacker attacks, and viruses, while 25.8% are concerned about losing sensitive information, such as smashing their phones, failing to save data, forgetting passwords, or being without an Internet connection.

28.4 percent of respondents pointed out constant lack of time, acceleration of communications, and concerns about not being able to complete tasks on time. Respondents are also concerned about the rise of online communication and electronic communications (bots, autoresponders, product systems, etc.).

15.3 percent of young people express concerns about growing social distrust in the face of human life and health becoming increasingly reliant on other people and electronic systems, such as public transportation, planes, elevators, and medical intervention.

Respondents are also concerned about the negative effects of technological advancement. 22.2 percent of young citizens, for example, are concerned about the robotization of labor processes and the displacement of humans by robots. 14.6 percent express direct negative feelings about the advancement of artificial intelligence.

According to Natalia Antonova, professor at UrFU’s Department of Applied Sociology, young people are afraid of total surveillance via phone and afraid of being left without mobile devices. Fears shape the digital generation’s irrational behavior, resulting in significant changes in daily life.