Snap Inc revealed on Tuesday that India topped its Digital Well-Being Index (DWBI) for the second year straight with an overall score of 67.
Revealed on the
International Safer Internet Day, the study revealed that 52% of Indians express satisfaction with their online lives, surpassing levels in other surveyed countries.
A critical revelation from the study underscores India's robust culture of parental support, with over 60% of Indian teens actively seeking parental guidance upon encountering online risks.
Mirroring this engagement, an equivalent percentage (over 60%) of parents consistently check in with their teens regarding online safety matters. Remarkably, India leads in fostering trust between teenagers and parents — recording the highest percentage in this as compared to the other 5 markets surveyed (USA, UK, France, Germany, and Australia).
Commenting on the DWBI findings, Uthara Ganesh, Head of Public Policy, India and South Asia, Snap Inc., “The DWBI findings this year highlight a reciprocal exchange of support and open conversations between teens and parents in India regarding online safety. This demonstrates an encouraging evolution of the parent-teen relationship in the digital age. It’s heartening to see a nation with a significant number of internet users leading the way in promoting a healthy digital parent-teen relationship.”
Ganesh added that
Snap is committed to fostering and enhancing this positive trend.
Delving deeper, the study reveals a noteworthy trend where 82% of Indian parents rely on their children for technical support. “Amongst these Indian parents, nearly two-thirds (64%) sought guidance from their teens on software applications while an equal percentage (64%) sought assistance with navigating media platforms,” it added.
The DWBI draws upon research and responses from over 9,000 Gen Z respondents from over six countries (India, the US, the UK, Australia, France, and Germany).
According to Snap, the company continues to leverage these research findings to inform its product and feature design and development, including enhancements to
Snapchat's Family Center.
Launched in 2022, Family Center provides parents with insights into their teens' Snapchat activities while preserving privacy. Recent updates include features enabling parents to disable My AI, Snapchat's AI-powered chatbot, and improved discoverability of safety and privacy settings.
