More Tools, More Control: Young Users on Handling Unwanted Messages
By Michal Luria
Young users want more granular controls to manage unwanted messages; current platform tools are insufficient, with design recommendations for youth safety that preserve autonomy.
About this research
This original report draws on a survey, interviews, API/data analysis and longitudinal analysis.
- Publication
- Original report · 41 pages
- Research approach
- survey, interviews, API/data analysis and longitudinal analysis
- Research materials
- Public-source data is described in the publication
Publication details prepared by Social Media Transparency from the original source.
Executive summary
AI-generatedThis summary was generated by AI from the original report to make it easier to scan and cite. It is not a substitute for the source. Read the original above.
This CDT study drew on diary-style interviews with 32 people aged 14 to 21, who logged unwanted, unsolicited, or sexually charged messages they received online over roughly three weeks. Exposure was highly uneven: some participants recorded as many as seven unwanted contacts while others reported only one or none, undercutting a one-size-fits-all view of the problem.
Participants described layered coping strategies, from proactive steps such as setting accounts to private and limiting interactions to close circles, to reactive ones such as assessing a message's severity before blocking, ignoring, or reporting it, and occasionally consulting friends or family before escalating.
Based on these accounts, CDT recommends platforms strengthen basic response tools (block, delete, report), default younger users to private, less-discoverable accounts, and add friction — such as warnings or delays — before interactions with unknown accounts can proceed, arguing that youth-informed design can improve safety without stripping away autonomy.
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