Abstract
Based on lifestyle exposure theory (LET), this study examined online dating application (ODA) use and victimization experiences among adolescents using large cross-national samples of Finnish, American, Spanish, and South Korean young people between ages 15 and 18. According to logistic regression analyses in two substudies, ODA use was associated with more likely victimization to online harassment, online sexual harassment, and other cybercrimes and sexual victimization by adults and peers. According to mediation analyses, this relationship was mainly accounted for by the fact that ODA users engage in more risky activities in online communication and information sharing. Attention should be paid to the risks ODAs pose to vulnerable groups, such as young people, with insufficient skills to regulate their social relationships online.
Highlights
Building meaningful peer relationships is important to young individuals (Steinberg & Morris, 2001), and establishing a romantic relationship with an increased sense of commitment becomes a significant goal for many young people (Arnett, 2004; Shulman & Connolly, 2013)
We found that online dating application (ODA) use was associated with more likely victimization to online harassment in a cross‐national sample of Finnish, American, Spanish, and South Korean adolescents
This study has provided a novel perspective on the risk factors by elaborating the mechanism that links ODA use to different victimization experiences using large cross‐national datasets
Summary
Building meaningful peer relationships is important to young individuals (Steinberg & Morris, 2001), and establishing a romantic relationship with an increased sense of commitment becomes a significant goal for many young people (Arnett, 2004; Shulman & Connolly, 2013). The current lives of young people are characterized by technology and the use of various social media platforms (Anderson et al, 2020). Youths use these sites and platforms to enrich their social lives by maintaining or building new friendships (Allen et al, 2014; Schaeffer, 2019), reflecting a change in the way young people meet others and create new relationships (Hynan et al, 2014). Various dating websites and mobile applications afforded by the popularization of smartphones have had a vast influence on how young people of today find and initiate contact with potential love interests and romantic partners (Sumter & Vandenbosch, 2019). Online dating applications (ODAs) have emerged largely during the past decade (Clement, 2020) and are a common part of people's lives around the world
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