Online safety

Released 15/09/2025

Proportion of people who have experienced online harm or negative content in the last 12 months

Online safety is increasingly important as operating in an online space is the norm for most people and affects many aspects of people’s lives.

Negative online experiences can come in a variety of forms, including being sent unwanted content, scams, impersonation, and offensive communication.

The eSafety Commissioner Adults’ negative online experiences 2022 survey found that amongst adults aged 18 years and over, in the previous 12 months to November 2022:

• 70% had at least one negative online experience
• 31% were sent unwanted inappropriate content
• 31% had things said to them to provoke a response or start an argument
• 26% had their accounts accessed without consent
• 25% were called offensive names.

The Australian Institute of Criminology’s Cybercrime in Australia 2024 survey also collected information on peoples’ experiences of victimisation online. Using online panels of Australians aged 18 years and over, the 2024 survey found that in the previous 12 months:

• 47% experienced at least one type of cybercrime
• 27% experienced online abuse and harassment
• 21% experienced malware
• 22% experienced identity crime and misuse
• 9.5% experienced fraud and scams.

The eSafety Commissioner Adults’ negative online experiences 2019 survey found that amongst adults aged 18 to 65 years, 67% had at least one negative online experience in the 12 months prior. These results are not directly comparable to the 2022 survey due to differences in both the population and the list of experiences included.

The 2022 Adults’ negative online experiences survey found the following groups were more likely to have had at least one negative online experience in the previous 12 months:

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander adults (86%)
• adults who identified as LGBTQI+ (83%)
• adults with disability (79%)
• linguistically diverse adults (76%).

The 2024 Cybercrime in Australia survey also reported differences across groups. Respondents aged 18 to 24 years were the most likely to experience online abuse and harassment (38%) and respondents aged 65 years and over were least likely (20%). 

Prevalence of online abuse and harassment was also higher for:

• men than women (28% compared with 25%)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (43% compared with 26%)
• people who identified as LGB+ (39% compared with 26%)
• people with a restrictive long-term health condition (44% compared with 25%).

The following groups were more likely to experience identity crime and misuse:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (36% compared with 21%)
• people who mainly spoke a language other than English at home (26% compared with 22%)
• people with a restrictive long-term health condition (33% compared with 21%).

Further information about peoples’ negative experiences online is available in eSafety Commissioner’s Adults’ negative experiences online 2022 survey and Australian Institute of Criminology’s Cybercrime in Australia 2024 survey.

Disaggregation available includes:

• Age
• Gender
• Indigenous status
• Sexual orientation
• Cultural and linguistic diversity
• Health status
• Relationship status
• Parental characteristics
• Employment characteristics
• Income.