10 pct Facebook users abused online: study

Sixty-one per cent people said it has happened just once or twice,while eight per cent claimed to receive 8216;anti-social8217; messages about once a month,and three per cent receive them a few times a month,a media report said.

A further three per cent said they have received more than five such messages in the past year,found the study.

In 62 per cent of cases,the insult came from people the recipient knows in real life,but 27 per cent said the perpetrator wasn8217;t even on their Facebook friends list.

Two-third responded by blocking the offender,while just over a quarter used the 8216;Report8217; link provided by Facebook.

Others dealt with the situation by taking advantage of the privacy settings 14 per cent,setting up a limited profile six per cent,stopping using Facebook five per cent and closing their account three per cent,14 per cent asked the perpetrator to stop.

On Twitter only five per cent reported threatening,insulting or abusive tweets,although this is likely to be because half of all Twitter users said they have an account merely to follow others. Only three per cent of respondents said they have been asked to delete a tweet.

In the virtual world of social media people may feel it is easy and anonymous to send insulting or abusive messages to other users. Our research shows that most people on Facebook are currently able to tackle the problem themselves using the technology provided, it said.

The strength of social media has always been the opportunity to easily connect and interact with friends and groups,but to ensure its continued flexibility is not restricted by legislation,it is important that the ability to limit exposure to insulting and abusive messages is simple for users to control themselves, it said.