Eurispes survey links negative online experiences to mental health issues

A 2026 Eurispes survey regarding the relationship between Italians, digital technologies, and mental health highlights the significant impact of negative online experiences. Scientific literature supports that online victimization is robustly associated with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic symptoms, and low self-esteem.

Data from the survey indicates that exposure to harmful digital content is widespread. Approximately 26% of respondents reported encountering violent or disturbing content, 23.4% experienced offensive comments or personal attacks, and 21.8% faced the unauthorized sharing of photos or videos. Other reported issues include phishing (16.4%), identity theft or account breaches (15.2%), intentional exclusion (14.6%), theft of data or money (12.1%), harassment (12%), and threats (10.1%).

Younger populations are particularly vulnerable. Among those aged 18-24, 40.7% reported seeing violent or disturbing content, 38.4% received insults or attacks, and 37.2% experienced other forms of digital victimization.