New Delhi, Jan. 14 -- Unwanted contact from known persons exceeds stranger-initiated contact, a latest survey that studied online digital habits of people aged 11-30 years has found. The 17 to 18 age group reports the highest rates of unwanted contact from known persons at 53.1 per cent, marking this transition period as particularly vulnerable, the survey found.

These finding challenge the dominant 'stranger danger' narrative that has shaped online safety discourse and suggests that risk arises substantially within friends, acquaintances, classmates, and sometimes family members, said the SCREEN (Student Cyber Resilience, Education and Empowerment Nationwide), a nationwide survey of nearly 4,000 young people aged 11-30 that reveals inte...