[PDF]

User Perceptions of the Security and Privacy Benefits of Social Media Apps


Jason Zhou

07/05/2026

Supervised by Neetesh Saxena; Moderated by Fernando Alva Manchego

This project investigates whether users who feel safest on a social media platform actually take the most risks on it, examining the gap between perceived safety and real privacy behaviour across Snapchat, Facebook and WhatsApp. Using a mixed-methods design (survey and interviews) and a Python analysis pipeline that produces five composite scores per participant, it explores how platform design features, grooming risk awareness, and technical background shape that contradiction.


Initial Plan (30/01/2026) [Zip Archive]

Final Report (07/05/2026) [Zip Archive]

Publication Form