Worried your social media accounts might get hacked? You’re not alone. According to a new NordVPN study, most Americans fear falling victim to social media hacking. So, should you be losing sleep over being hacked? And what can you do to boost your social media account security?
We all know that social media has many privacy and security issues. From your personal data being exposed to ever-rising social media scams, you have plenty to be concerned about.
And now, a new NordVPN study has shown that 7 in 10 (70%) of Americans worry their social media accounts might get hacked, with nearly a third (30%) saying they’re very concerned.
These fears are not surprising — most of those surveyed reported that they know someone who fell victim to social media hacking.
Nine in 10 surveyed (89%) said they know someone whose profile has been hacked, with 28% saying they know 5 to 10 victims of social media hacking. Fifteen percent of respondents said they know more than ten people who have been hacked on social media.
The fears seem to be growing, with 76% reporting they’re more concerned now compared to the past years.
It’s not just people they know — many Americans have actually experienced social media account hacking firsthand. Thirty-seven percent reported having had their accounts hacked.
Out of those hacked, nearly 8 out of 10 (77%) said their Facebook account was hacked, while 35% reported someone hacked their Instagram account. Twenty-four percent said their Twitter or YouTube account was hacked, and 23% said someone hacked their TikTok account.
Twenty-four percent said their Twitter or YouTube account was hacked, and 23% said someone hacked their TikTok account.
When asked which platform people are most concerned about being hacked on, nearly a third admitted they worry about Facebook.
Facebook was followed by TikTok (26%), then Snapchat (21%).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the anxiety over getting hacked coincides with a general lack of trust in social media.
When asked which app they trust the most with their privacy and data, less than half of respondents chose Facebook (47%).
Apps like Truth Social and Discord received the least amount of trust, with 9% of respondents saying they trust Discord and only 7% saying they trust Truth Social the most.
The survey also asked respondents which app they trust the least. Facebook was selected the most here, too, confirming the largest social media platform has some work to do when it comes to trust.
The study results are clear — concern is rising over social media hacking. However, the good news is that you can take several steps to keep your accounts safe.
Methodology: A national online survey of 1,022 U.S. consumers ages 18 and over was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of NordVPN in April of 2021. Survey responses were nationally representative of the U.S. population for age, gender, region, and ethnicity.
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