FRND Safe Space Survey of 12,600+ Users Finds Privacy and Fear of Judgement Are Driving a Shift Toward Voice and Indic Language Interaction

Bengaluru, 21st July 2026: As digital interactions become increasingly embedded in daily life, users are re-evaluating how they connect and express themselves online. The FRND Safe Space Survey, conducted among 12,666 users on the platform via in-app pop-ups using a multiple-choice format, finds that concerns around privacy, judgement, and online negativity are steering users toward spaces that offer greater control, emotional comfort, and authenticity.

The survey found that 48% of respondents cite lack of privacy as a key barrier to expressing themselves freely on digital platforms, while 45% say fear of judgement from people they know holds them back from being themselves on mainstream social platforms. Meanwhile, 29% pointed to trolling, hate speech and online negativity as deterrents, and 20% highlighted the pressure of maintaining a curated digital image.

When asked what makes them most comfortable interacting on an online platform, 50% pointed to strong safety and moderation features, the single highest-ranked factor overall, ahead of avatar identity (45%) and audio interactions (37%). Voice emerged as the predominant format for users’ emotional connectedness: 66% said hearing another person's voice made them feel most connected, well ahead of video calls (29%) and text (28%). Hindi users peaked with their preference for voice (70%) and the lowest was Malayalam (58%) but fairly dominant.

Comfort towards one’s regional language was one of the strongest findings in the survey: 78% of respondents said they express themselves much better in their mother tongue, with the figure rising to 84% among both Telugu and Malayalam-speaking users.

One consistent pattern across the survey: Malayalam-speaking users showed the strongest preference for privacy and safety across multiple questions, leading on safety and moderation features (62%), lack of privacy as a barrier (60%), and use of social media for entertainment (62%), suggesting a distinct regional appetite for safe, low-pressure, entertaining digital spaces.

On overall motivation for using social media, 49% of respondents cited entertainment as a primary reason while 46% cited connection, a near-even split that points to digital platforms serving two distinct user needs.

Commenting on the findings, Bhanu Pratap Singh Tanwar, Co-founder & CEO, FRND, said, "The survey highlights a stark difference between what traditional social media platforms offer and what Bharat users are actually looking for in their digital experiences. People are more comfortable being themselves online when they don't have to put up a picture, when they can speak instead of type, and when they can converse in their own Indic language. One of the most telling insights was that 45% of users said fear of judgment from people they already know, not strangers, holds them back from expressing themselves. Because so much of our online behaviour is shaped by that social conservatism, people need a digital third space that's empathetic and warm, not just functional, and that's what we've built FRND to be."

FRND currently has over 3 million monthly active users across India. On average, users spend more than 30 minutes daily on the platform, driving close to 1.39 million conversations and 1.75 million minutes of interaction every day.

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