Adolescents’ Exposure to Online Risks

Gender Disparities and Vulnerabilities Related to Online Behaviors

Bibliographic Data

ID15465009
AuthorsElena Savoia (0000-0002-8300-1177, Harvard University, corresponding author), Nigel Walsh Harriman (0000-0003-2545-0174, Community Safety Branch of the Emergency Preparedness, Research, Evaluation, and Practice Program, Division of Policy Translation and Leadership Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA), Max Su (Harvard University), Tyler Cote (Operation PAR), Neil Shortland (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Neil D Shortland (0000-0001-9496-4852, University of Massachusetts Lowell)
Year2021
Volume18
Issue11
Pages5786-5786
Publication date2021-05-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph18115786
PMID34072253
OpenAlexW3138334318
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited37

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

Binomial regression · Environmental health · Internet privacy · Logistic regression · Sample (material · Social media · The Internet · Variety (cybernetics · World Wide Web · Applied Psychology · Child Development and Digital Technology · Computer Science · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Medicine · Psychology · Social Media and Politics