Abstract
In the last decade, readily available electronic devices have created unprecedented opportunities for teens to access a wide variety of information and media–both positive and negative–on the internet. Despite the increasing number of initiatives taking place worldwide intended to assess and mitigate the online risks encountered by children and adolescents, there is still a need for a better understanding of how adolescents use the internet and their susceptibility to exposure to risks in the online space. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of a convenience sample of 733 8th and 9th grade students in Utah. The survey contained eight questions regarding students’ exposure to three types of online risk scenarios: content risk, contact risk, and criminal risk. Independent variables included students’ online behaviors, use of social media and private messaging apps, and adult supervision of online activities. Logistic and negative binomial regression models indicated that gender, social media use, and chatting with strangers were associated with exposure to multiple risky online scenarios. Our results provide critical information to educators involved in the development of initiatives focusing on the reduction of youth online risk by identifying correlates of risky online events, allowing them to tailor their initiatives to meet the needs of potentially vulnerable populations.
Highlights
In the last decade, readily available electronic devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones have created unprecedented opportunities for teens to communicate, connect, share, and access a wide variety of information and media on the internet [1,2]
We provide the sample characteristics based on demographics and academic performance, and descriptive statistics for social media use, private messaging use, online behaviors, adult supervision of online activities, and risky online situations experienced by the respondents
Five out of the eight online risky situations we investigated referred to interactions with someone online that lead to a risky outcome: (1) bullying and harassment by friends or acquaintances, (2) getting involved in unwanted conversations, (3) someone using the respondent’s photos in an inappropriate way, (4) a stranger trying to meet with them, and (5) coming across hate groups trying to convince the respondent of their views
Summary
Readily available electronic devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones have created unprecedented opportunities for teens to communicate, connect, share, and access a wide variety of information and media on the internet [1,2]. Information and communication technologies are playing a key role in fulfilling adolescents’ emotional and communication needs [3], and the instrumental and social functions of such technologies are having a critical impact on teens’ interactions with parents, peers, and social groups [4]. Digital communication can both strengthen and strain teen-parent relationships. The same technology is facilitating the process by which teens connect with peers and with individuals in an independent manner free from parental surveillance
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