Youth Online Research Articles

Revising the VIA-Youth: II. The Spirituality scale

ABSTRACT This study extends a previous one revising the VIA-Youth. Goals of the revision included reducing length and extending age range down to 8. After an initial revision, further discussion suggested the need for a more secular version of the spirituality scale. Based on evidence of changes in the understanding of spirituality during adolescence, separate sets of candidate items were generated for ages 8–12 and 13–17 with two overlapping items. The revised materials were administered to 94,487 youth online and through two school districts. Retaining the two overlapping items in both sets did not reduce fit. The result is two versions of the inventory for ages 8–12 (VIA-Y-1) and 13–17 (VIA-Y-2) that differ only on two items included in the spirituality scale. These offer a measure of spirituality in youth that is developmentally sensitive without relying on items referencing a religious framework.

“We Know About Things Too”: Exploring the Labors of Love Involved in Cultivating Youth Voice in Online Youth Civic Engagement Programs With Youth of Color

Online youth civic engagement programs are often designed to support the cultivation of youth voice, yet working with youth of color who are particularly skeptical of civic life takes a certain form of labor that often remains unexamined in the scholarship of youth civic engagement. Drawing on concepts of invisible, emotional, and relational labor and the work of critical race theory (CRT), this article examines what is often termed the “labor of love” that characterizes the behind-the-scenes work. Utilizing a critical ethnographic approach, we identify three stages in the labor of love involved in cultivating youth voice in five different online youth civic engagement programs as we sought to highlight youth voice, perspective, and expertise with local policymakers. We argue that the behind-the-scenes invisible, emotional, and relational labor needs to be better understood to address the barriers youth of color face in relation to gaining full access to democratic participation.

Adolescent Cybervictimization in 31 Countries: The Gender Gap, Gendered Opportunity, and the Contextual Influence of Gender Stratification

Abstract This study examined the gender gap, gendered opportunity, and the contextual influence of gender inequality and women’s absolute status with respect to online stalking victimization and online image-based victimization (IBV) among youths in 31 countries. Descriptive analysis allowed for comparison of prevalence of online stalking and IBV across gender. We estimated sex-specific hierarchical logistic regression models that examined the relationships between indicators of risky lifestyle, social attachments, physical/social vulnerability and online stalking victimization and IBV. We estimated multilevel models that focused on the linear and curvilinear effects of country-level gender inequality and women’s absolute status (WAS) on the average country-level odds of online stalking victimization and IBV. There were both cross-gender similarities and differences regarding the individual-level correlates of both types of adolescent cybervictimization examined. Countries that had relatively greater gender inequality tended to exhibit a higher prevalence of boys’ and girls’ victimization. Findings suggest that student-level programs should address risk, vulnerability, and protective factors across the three student life domains of risky lifestyle, social attachments, and physical and social vulnerability. Addressing risky lifestyle seems particularly important for reducing girls’ victimization. Moreover, reducing gender inequality or increasing women’s absolute status can play a role in reducing youth online victimization generally.

Social Contagion, from Suicide to Online Challenges to Eating Disorders: Current Research and Harm Mitigation Strategies for Youth Online

Social Contagion, from Suicide to Online Challenges to Eating Disorders: Current Research and Harm Mitigation Strategies for Youth Online

TikTok as algorithmically mediated biographical illumination: Autism, self-discovery, and platformed diagnosis on #autisktok

Scholarship in the sociology of medicine has tended to characterize diagnosis as disruptive to one’s self-concept. This categorization, though, requires reconsideration in light of public conversations about mental health and community building around neurocognitive conditions, particularly among youth online. Drawing upon Tan’s notion of “biographical illumination” (BI), which describes how medical frameworks can enrich personal biographies, we explored the shifting nature of BI through the case of TikTok. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, we argue that TikTok serves as a space to discuss diagnosis and refine one’s sense of self as a result of diagnosis. However, such personal transformation is inseparable from the app’s affordances, or what we term “algorithmically mediated biographical illumination.” BI shapes TikTok as a platform, and TikTok informs BI as a psychosocial process, leading to what we call “platformed diagnosis.” These findings have broader critical applications for the study of algorithms, disability, and digital platforms.

Advertising Exposure From Online and Offline Sources and Youth Tobacco Use: Findings From the Adolescents, Place, and Behavior Study.

Tobacco use among adolescents is an ongoing public health concern. Youth tobacco use has been associated with advertising, from both online sources and retail environments. This study examined associations between exposure to tobacco advertisements from tobacco retail outlets (TROs), internet, and social media sources and ever tobacco use among adolescents. Data were obtained from youth, aged 11-17 years (N = 401) from Richmond, VA. Bayesian index and group index models were fitted to estimate indices of exposure to (1) social media use, (2) tobacco ads on social media, and (3) TRO store visits and their association with ever tobacco use. The most important components of the exposure indices were also determined based on the index component weights from the Bayesian index models. In Bayesian index models of single exposures, each exposure index was significantly associated with tobacco use. In the best-fitting model, social media tobacco ads (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2; 95% credible interval [CI]: 1.2, 4.5) and TRO store visits (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.3) were significantly associated with ever tobacco use, as was older age (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2, 1.8). Index component weights revealed Snapchat ad frequency as the most important platform in the social media index and convenience stores as the most important type of store in the TRO index. Exposure to pro-tobacco advertisements on social media and visits to TROs are associated with adolescent ever tobacco use. Results provide support for policies that would restrict the promotion of tobacco products at TROs and on social media. Tobacco regulations and interventions targeting convenience stores and Snapchat may be warranted to reduce youth tobacco use. Current evidence provide support for policies that would restrict the promotion of tobacco products at TROs and on social media. Findings suggest that regulations and interventions that specifically target advertisements in convenience stores and on Snapchat may be currently warranted to reduce youth tobacco use.

An Unaccepted Official Quora: The Process of Guiding Online Youth Opinion by the Chinese Communist Youth League

Abstract: With reference to an online platform, Qingnian zhisheng, under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Youth League, this article focuses on the process by which the Chinese government guides the public opinions of young netizens. An authoritarian performance appraisal system was adopted to command and monitor the construction and promotion process of local agencies in a top-down and hierarchical approach. Under the increasingly strict appraisal requirements, the widening contradiction between state ideology and young netizens' demands has added a burden to grassroots bureaucrats' workload and eventually forced them to deviate from the original policy objective of online youth opinion guidance by fabricating performance appraisal data.

Sisterhood at a Distance: Doing Feminist Support Work Online

The aim of this study is to analyze the characteristics of feminist peer support in the context of online chat counseling. Based on 15 interviews with female lay supporters associated with a branch of the Swedish women's shelter movement targeting young women, we explore how the digital setting—characterized by distance and anonymity—affects the meaning and doing of feminist support. Our results show that core principles of feminist support—striving for equality and trust, the crafting of safe spaces, and sharing experiences—are all renegotiated and/or accentuated by the digital setting. The chat is experienced as enabling a more equal relationship and a high level of safety. The meaning of safety has largely shifted, however, from being associated with a feminist community to safety associated with solitude and distance. We further show a tension in the respondents’ understanding of shared experiences, stressing both the importance of situated knowledges and the value of not knowing who is seeking or offering support. By combining research and material on feminist support and online youth counseling, the article offers novel perspectives on feminist counseling and social work, the power dimensions of online counseling, and the virtual space as an arena for feminist activism.

Self-Regulating or Supervised Boys?

Abstract This article analyzes debates about online pornography filters and youth in the Swedish press between 2016 and 2020, focusing on the depiction of boys and young men. Critics of filtering software argued that boys could self-regulate if they were provided better sex education and if parents communicated with them about pornography. In contrast, advocates posited that boys are incapable of developing healthy sexuality because online pornography is a powerful drug that leads to addiction and contributes to a rape culture. As boys were considered unable to get a filter “in their head,” proponents argued for disciplinary supervision through software in schools.

Youth political participation and digital movement in Indonesia: the case of #ReformasiDikorupsi and #TolakOmnibusLaw

The younger generations have always been at the forefront of and contributed significantly to social movements that are critical of state policies or respond to socio-political situations. This is also what happened in large movements involving young people in Indonesia, conventionally in the form of demonstrations and digital movements. This study seeks to explore the relationship between youth political participation, digital media, and the development of youth political identity by analyzing young people’s engagement in some of the most significant political protests in Indonesia during the mass protests of #ReformasiDikorupsi, a movement opposing the amendments of several important bills, and #TolakOmnibusLaw, a movement opposing the establishment of a new single bill related to labor and investment, between 2019 and 2020. By analyzing quantitative data through data mining from Twitter from October 2019 to November 2020 with the social network analysis method, this study discusses online youth participation in social movements and the way they shape their political identity. Our research found that young people play an active and central role in building online and offline movements. In particular, the online movement contributes to the growth of the offline protest movement, and vice versa, because of concerns about the practice of illiberal democracy.

Digital media, popular culture and social activism amongst urban youth in Nigeria

Focusing on Nigeria, this paper explores the efforts of an online youth leadership programme, Days of Change, which succeeded in galvanising, uniting, and engaging Nigerian youth both online and offline, across social, class, and ethnic divides concerning nation building. The paper provides a unique example of the ways in which online media have become veritable sites of popular urban youth cultures, from which young people negotiate the unstable landscape of post-coloniality that the African state has foisted on its vulnerable youth population. More importantly, the paper seeks to lay the groundwork for further theorisations on how social media can be utilised as a vehicle for anti-colonial youth engagement Africa.

Influence and expertise: distancing and distinction in online youth feminist knowledge cultures

ABSTRACT In recent years, feminism’s visibility in Western pop culture and social media has seemingly made it ever more accessible for young people (Banet-Weiser, S. 2019. Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny. Durham, NC: Duke University Press). This article uses the framework of youth ‘knowledge cultures’ to analyse how feminist knowledge is negotiated and remade in online culture, going beyond characterisations of online feminism primarily in terms of either ‘activism’, or the linear ‘accessing’ of feminist ideas. Drawing on an ongoing empirical project located in Australia involving 50 young feminists who regularly engage with feminist social media culture, we highlight participants’ affective practices of analysis and critique in connection with three Australian feminist ‘influencers’ with significant social media presences: Clementine Ford, a white columnist and memoirist; Abbie Chatfield, a white former Bachelor contestant, now podcaster and TV personality; and Lillian Ahenkan aka Flex Mami, a Black entrepreneur, and podcaster. We highlight how practices of distancing and proximity are enacted by participants in affective knowledge practices in relation to these influencers. We suggest the framework of ‘accessibility’ that predominates in scholarship obscures the complex classed, racialised and gendered dynamics through which knowledge is hierarchically made, contested, and accorded legitimacy in social media knowledge cultures.

Online youth concussion resources for Canadian teachers and school staff: A systematic search strategy

ABSTRACT Introduction Teachers and school staff (i.e., principals, coaches, trainers, educational assistants, guidance counselors, school healthcare professionals, etc.) are well positioned to support students’ return-to-school post-concussion. Teachers and school staff may access concussion resources online as they are readily available; however, their quality and accuracy are unknown. Objective To identify accurate online concussion resources suitable for Canadian teachers and school staff. Methods A five-phased systematic search strategy was conducted: 1) initial identification of resources; 2) consultation of pediatric concussion experts; 3) inclusion and exclusion criteria; 4) content review; and, 5) material evaluation. Results A total of 837 resources were identified initially and 40 resources were included in the final list. Across all resources, 310 (37%) resources were excluded as they were not designed primarily for teachers and school staff. Thirty-four (43%) of 80 resources reviewed for content accuracy were excluded. Among resources reviewed for readability, usability and suitability, six (13%) were excluded. Conclusions The 40 resources identified in this study can enable teachers and school staff to educate themselves about concussion and how to optimally support a student’s return-to-school post-concussion.

An Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Adolescents With Anxiety Disorders: a Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

IntroductionAnxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions among children and adolescents. However, it is estimated that less than 25% of all children and adolescents with an anxiety disorder receive professional help. Thus, it is of utmost importance to develop novel interventions that aim to increase treatment accessibility.ObjectivesThe aim of this study is threefold, to determine the effectiveness of CoolMinds, an iCBT intervention for adolescents with anxiety disorders. In addition to investigate predictive factors and the networks between symptoms, severity and change from pre- to post- treatment.MethodsThe study is designed as a three-armed randomized controlled trial comparing iCBT with planned feedback, iCBT with on-demand help and a waitlist control, with 56 patients in each group. The participants in the two treatment conditions will receive 12 weeks of iCBT, while participants in the waitlist control wait for 12 weeks, before receiving iCBT with planned feedback. The participants in the two iCBT conditions will be randomized to get a booster session or not, 12 weeks after finishing treatment. The participants are adolescents between the age of 12 and 17 years and their parents. The families must live in the Region of Southern Denmark, and the adolescents must have a principal anxiety diagnosis according to DSM-5 criteria. The primary outcome measure are the Youth Online Diagnostic Assessment - child and parent versions. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, post-treatment and at the 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Symptoms of anxiety and depression are also measured between each session with PHQ-9 and S-SCAS.ResultsThe results from this study will be submitted to high-status international and peer-reviewed journals, as well as be presented at national and international conferences.ConclusionsThis study will allow us to determine the efficacy of iCBT in adolescents with anxiety, where parent involvement is emphasized as part of the treatment. The results from this study intends to enhance accessibility of evidence-based treatment for adolescents with anxiety.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

University Autonomy and Governance

No AccessUniversity Autonomy and GovernanceYuliia Fetko, PhD Sergii Geraskov, Indira Hajnacs, Yuliia StoikaYuliia Fetko Uzhhorod National University Ukraine MA; is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Law of Uzhhorod National University. Yuliia has five years of experience in implementing international projects. Her research and project efforts focus on the cross-border cooperation of universities and local and regional authorities in Europe.Search for more papers by this author, PhD Sergii Geraskov Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Ukraine PhD; works as an associate professor at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. He holds a PhD in religious studies, taught at the relocated Donetsk National Technical University, and was a research fellow at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan. From 2017–2021, he worked as a researcher at the National Academy for Public Administration for the President of Ukraine. His research and project efforts cover Japanese studies, religious studies and public administration.Search for more papers by this author, Indira HajnacsMA; is working as a partner manager for the Creative Bureaucracy Festival Berlin, that aim is to celebrate outstanding innovation in the public sector and to strengthen democracy as the basis for a more sustainable, just and thriving world. For similar reasons, she is participating in the Academy of City Diplomacy Program of Budapest´s mayor. On the vocational training she is learning to advance the Hungarian capital city’s international relations and to implement green mayor Gergely Karácsony’s foreign policy program. She has just finished her Master Studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin with a degree in Cultural and Literature Studies of the CEE region.Search for more papers by this author, Yuliia Stoika Uzhhorod National University Ukraine studies International Economic Relations at Uzhhorod National University. Yuliia has experience in study programme accreditation at the National Agency of Higher Education Quality Assurance in Ukraine. Currently, she is developing informal education at the International Online Youth Company.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:Feb 2023SectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail About Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Download book coverVolume 63Issue 1-2February 2023 ISSN: 0012-5415eISSN: 2307-289XHistoryPublished online:February 2023 PDF download

A Review on E-commerce and Rural Consumers: A Study on the Motivational Factors for Online Shopping among Rural Youth

Purpose: Online shopping is now a frequently used method of making purchases. It has become popular in rural areas, especially among rural youth, as a result of advancements in technology, information, and communication. This study aims to determine the motivational factors that affect rural youth's online shopping behaviour and their level of familiarity with e-commerce in general and online shopping in particular. Design: Secondary data was gathered by referring to journal papers via Google Scholar, Research Gate, Academia databases, Magazines, and books. The framework of ABCD factor analysis is included in the study. Findings: Based on the articles examined, it is clear that young people are comfortable making purchases online, and that they do so for a variety of reasons. Youngsters are influenced to shop online because of both internal (personal) and external factors (Influencers). Despite the fact that there is no research on rural youth in the reviewed articles, there are still some themes that apply to this demographic that are universal across all consumers, whether they live in cities or rural areas. A number of problems exist even for young people living in urban areas when they try to shop online. The majority of young people still prefer shopping online because of ease, lower prices, higher quality, convenience, etc. The majority of youth today, prefer to shop online for books and electronic gadgets. Originality value: The knowledge that young people possess relating to online shopping has been assessed based on the reviewed articles. The motivators that make youth buy the products online are identified along with the purchase process, methods of payment, etc. Paper Type: Review of Literature

Motivations and perceived harms and benefits of online communication about self-harm: An interview study with young people.

Self-harm behaviour is prevalent among young people and online communication about self-harm is frequent. These online communications are associated with potential harms and potential benefits. To date, few studies have explored the motivations and mechanisms involved in youth online communication about self-harm. This study aimed to explore why young people communicate online about self-harm and the perceived benefits and harms of these communications. Twenty young people aged between 18 and 25 years completed an online interview. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Four main themes are reported: (1) crossing from offline to online-the double-edged affordances of social media: young people engaged in online communication about self-harm because they were unable or unwilling to speak about their experiences in offline contexts. Online spaces afforded anonymity and peer support, which were associated with benefits and harms; (2) user-generated is not quite the same as user-resonated: perceptions were influenced by whether the young person created or viewed or responded to the content. Written and visual content had pros and cons; (3) it's not just you, it's mostly me-individual characteristics influence perceptions: age and mental state influenced perceptions and behavior; and (4) beyond individuals-parameters are protective: leadership and platform policies and procedures aided safety. Online communication about self-harm is neither entirely helpful nor harmful. Perceptions are influenced by individual, social, and systematic factors. Evidence-based guidelines are needed to increase young people's online self-harm literacy and help them build effective communication skills to buffer psychological and potentially physical harm.

A Data Donation Approach for Youth Online Safety

A Data Donation Approach for Youth Online Safety

ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОЕ ДОВЕРИЕ РОССИЙСКОЙ МОЛОДЕЖИ: САМООЦЕНКА И МНЕНИЕ ЭКСПЕРТОВ

An analysis of the results of two empirical studies of the political trust of Russian youth conducted in the fall of 2022 — an all-Russian online youth survey and an expert survey — was carried out. Empirical studies were a part of the implementation of the research project "Political Trust of the Russian Youth: Formation Mechanisms, State, Trends, Systemic Risks". The self-assessment of the political trust of young people included the identification of their attitude towards the institutions of power, as well as to NGOs, and politicians of all levels. The expert survey was based on the application of the non-standardized interview method. A variable was calculated to clarify the issue of the proportion of those who did not trust the authorities, demonstrating low, medium and high indicators of political trust. Compared to previous online surveys, trust anti-rating indicators grew significantly. A split was revealed in the assessment of young people's regard of the domestic and foreign policies and the activities of certain institutions. Data was obtained on the differentiation of the political trust of young people in certain political institutions. Age/generational explanations for the differences in the political attitudes of young people showed differences between the three age groups of young people.

From 'Friends with Benefits' to 'Sextortion:' A Nuanced Investigation of Adolescents' Online Sexual Risk Experiences

Sexual exploration is a natural part of adolescent development; yet, unmediated internet access has enabled teens to engage in a wider variety of potentially riskier sexual interactions than previous generations, from normatively appropriate sexual interactions to sexually abusive situations. Teens have turned to online peer support platforms to disclose and seek support about these experiences. Therefore, we analyzed posts (N=45,955) made by adolescents (ages 13--17) on an online peer support platform to deeply examine their online sexual risk experiences. By applying a mixed methods approach, we 1) accurately (average of AUC = 0.90) identified posts that contained teen disclosures about online sexual risk experiences and classified the posts based on level of consent (i.e., consensual, non-consensual, sexual abuse) and relationship type (i.e., stranger, dating/friend, family) between the teen and the person in which they shared the sexual experience, 2) detected statistically significant differences in the proportions of posts based on these dimensions, and 3) further unpacked the nuance in how these online sexual risk experiences were typically characterized in the posts. Teens were significantly more likely to engage in consensual sexting with friends/dating partners; unwanted solicitations were more likely from strangers and sexual abuse was more likely when a family member was involved. We contribute to the HCI and CSCW literature around youth online sexual risk experiences by moving beyond the false dichotomy of "safe" versus "risky". Our work provides a deeper understanding of technology-mediated adolescent sexual behaviors from the perspectives of sexual well-being, risk detection, and the prevention of online sexual violence toward youth.