Americans look to online companies to address harassment on their platforms % ofus. adults who say people being harassed or bullied online is a major % who say the most effective way to address online harassmentis
Public awareness of online harassment is high: 94% of U.S. adults have some degree of familiarity with this issue, and one-third have heard a lot about it. Overall, 62% of the public considers online harassment to be a major problem, while just 5% do not consider it to be a problem at all.
When asked who should be responsible for policing or preventing abuse online, Americans assign responsibility to a variety of actors – most prominently, online companies and platforms. Roughly eight-in-ten Americans (79%) feel that online services have a responsibility to step in when harassing behavior occurs on their platforms, while just 15% say that these services should not be held responsible for the behavior and content of its users. Meanwhile, 64% say online platforms should play a major role in addressing online harassment, and 35% believe that better policies and tools from these companies are the most effective way to address online harassment.
At the same time, the public recognizes its own role in curbing online harassment. Fully 60% of Americans say that bystanders who witness harassing behavior online should play a major role in addressing this issue, and 15% feel that peer pressure from others is the single-most effective way to address online harassment. They also see a significant role for law enforcement in dealing with online abuse: 49% think law enforcement should play a major role in addressing online harassment, and 31% say stronger laws are the single-most effective way to address this issue. Simultaneously, a sizable proportion of Americans (43%) say that law enforcement currently does not take online harassment incidents seriously enough.
Americans look to online companies to address  | harassment on their platforms  | % ofus. adults who say people being harassed or bullied online is  | a minor  | Not a  | a major  | problem  | problem  | problem  | 62%  | 33  | % who say the most effective way to address online harassmentis  | Better policles and tools from  | 35%  | online companies  | Stronger online harassment laws  | 31  | Peer pressure from other users  | 15  | Increased focus and attention  | 8  | from law enforcement  | % who say online services  | Have a responsibility to  | Should not be  | step in when harassing  | responsible for users'  | behavior accurs  | harassing content  | 79%  | 15  | Source: Survey conducted Jan. 9-23 2017.  | "Online Harassment 2017  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 