If you have teenagers or adolescents at home, chances are they play online video games. However, some games like Fortnite and Valorant expose teenage players to harassment.
That is according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League Center for Technology and Society (ADL). The research asked 15 participants, including university students and young adults, to play four of the top online games---namely Counterstrike 2, Fortnite, Overwatch 2, and Valorant---in one-hour increments.
The study particularly aimed to determine what happens when a player expresses pride using different religious or national identities. Specifically, the teenagers were asked to use different player names such as "Proud2bJewish," "Proud2bMuslim," "Proud2bChinese," "Proud2bIsraeli," and "Proud2bMexican."
Study on Harassment in Online Games
Of the five usernames, Proud2BMexican received the most identity-based harassment across all games (43%), while Proud2BChinese received the least (25%). Almost half of these harassments included racial slurs, trash-talking, and disrupting play, and a third of identity-based harassments included the "n-word" and "gas the Jews."
Among the four games, players of Counterstrike 2 and Valorant experienced some type of harassment in about 66% of their game sessions. Half of those harassments were identity-based.
Only 20% of plays in Fortnite and 8% of games in Overwatch 2 had identity-based harassment.
In comparison, players experienced harassment when they used control usernames, but they were not harassed for their names. Additionally, prosocial behavior and positive play were even attributed to 50% of all experimental play sessions.
How Does Harassment in Online Games Affect Teens?
Harassment in online games can have a significant negative impact on teens' mental health and well-being. A constant barrage of negativity can lead to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness among teens. Some may even develop lower self-esteem or struggle with social anxiety as a result of these harmful interactions.
The effects of online harassment can extend beyond the gaming world and into teens' daily lives. Many young people report feeling angry, embarrassed, or upset after experiencing harassment in games. Some may start to isolate themselves from friends and family, while others might see a decline in their school performance.
In extreme cases, teens may even develop thoughts of self-harm or suicide due to the intense emotional toll of ongoing harassment.
