More than one in three teenagers have gone on to meet someone they first encountered online, according to a survey.
The poll of more than 1,000 UK youngsters aged 15 to 18 found 36 per cent said they had gone on to meet someone they had first interacted with while using social media.
A quarter of those surveyed also said they felt happier online than they did in real life.
Dr Emma Short, a psychologist for the National Centre for Cyberstalking Research at Bedfordshire University, said the figures were "worrying and concerning".
She added: "These people have lost sight - to a degree - of the risk because anyone you meet online, even if you negotiate with them, talk to them, they are still a stranger.
"You only know what they are telling you in chat. You only have the words on the screen. You don't know if they are who they say they are. Even though it feels a safe place, it is important to never mistake an online contact for anything other than a stranger."
The statistics, for Radio One's Newsbeat programme, also showed one in eight teenagers said their online friends know them better than their real friends, with half adding it was important for them to check social media as soon as they received a notification.
In addition, 38 per cent also said they had friends or followers online they had never met in person.
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