From hate speech to HateLess. The effectiveness of a prevention program on adolescents’ online hate speech involvement
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21562019 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sebastian Wach (0000-0003-2787-6646, University of Münster, corresponding author), Michelle F Wright (0000-0002-6703-8586, Indiana State University), Manuel Gámez-Guadix, Manuel Gámez‐guadix (0000-0002-1575-1662, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 157 |
| Pages | 108250 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Computers in Human Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0747-5632 • E-ISSN: 1873-7692 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.chb.2024.108250 |
| OpenAlex | W4394724675 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 41 |
Hate speech, a societal scourge, has found a potent conduit in modern technology, exacerbating its reach and impact. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the pernicious effects of online hate speech, which threaten their well-being and social cohesion. Addressing this critical issue, the current study uses a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the efficacy of “HateLess. Together Against Hatred” in reducing adolescents’ online hate speech perpetration and victimization and increasing their online hate speech countering. A sample of 820 adolescents aged 12 to 16 (M = 13.27, SD = 1.04) from 11 German schools was divided into an intervention group (n = 567), who underwent the one-week anti-hate speech program, and a control group (n = 253). Utilizing multilevel mediation analysis, the study revealed that program participation significantly reduced online hate speech perpetration and victimization while enhancing countering hate speech. Notably, the intervention’s success was partially mediated by increased empathy, which, in turn, predicted a decrease in hate speech perpetration and an increase in counter-speech, and by increased self-efficacy, which, in turn, was linked to reduced victimization and heightened countering hate speech. These promising outcomes suggest that HateLess could be a viable strategy for mitigating hate speech engagement and fostering a more respectful online discourse among adolescents
Hatred · Mediation · Political science · Politics · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
Behind Nonconsensual Sexting Among Adolescents
Educating language in the digital age
Associations between teachers’ beliefs and their perception of hate speech in school
Service-learning as a strategy to prevent online hate speech perpetration in secondary education
Young people and false information
Confront hate with AI
Cyberbullying, problematic use of the Internet and social media
Happiness Through HateLess? Examining the Direct and Indirect Effects of an Anti‐Hate Speech Program on Victimized and Non‐Victimized Youth
Counter-speech elaboration matters
Beyond the screen
The relationship between violent political rhetoric and suicide rates
A comparison of inclusive and restrictive strategies in modern missing data procedures.
Are children involved in cyberbullying low on empathy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of research on empathy versus different cyberbullying roles
Are cyberbullying intervention and prevention programs effective? A systematic and meta-analytical review
G*Power 3
Hate speech in adolescents
Online Hate Speech Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents
Digital Hate Speech Experiences Across Age Groups and Their Impact on Well-Being
The role of self-efficacy in defending cyberbullying victims
School bullying and self‐efficacy in adolescence
The relation of classroom climate to adolescents' countering hate speech via social skills
Effects of the KiVa anti-bullying program on defending behavior
The Ecology of Human Development
Bystanders of bullying
A Systematic Review on Hate Speech among Children and Adolescents
Adolescent empathic concern and perspective taking
Racist Hate Speech at School and its Association with Bystanders’ Active Defending – The Protective Role of Immigrant Background
Associations between self-efficacy, bullying and health-related quality of life in a school sample of adolescents
Missing data methods for dealing with missing items in quality of life questionnaires. A comparison by simulation of personal mean score, full information maximum likelihood, multiple imputation, and hot deck techniques applied to the SF-36 in the French 2003 decennial health survey
Youth on standby? Explaining adolescent and young adult bystanders’ intervention against online hate speech
Adolescents’ motivations to perpetrate hate speech and links with social norms
The role of empathy in reducing hate speech proliferation. Two contact-based interventions in online and off-line settings
Validation of the multidimensional bystander responses to racist hate speech scale and its association with empathy and moral disengagement among adolescents
Evidence‐based intervention against bullying and cyberbullying
Effects of the Prevention Program “HateLess. Together against Hatred” on Adolescents’ Empathy, Self-efficacy, and Countering Hate Speech
Individual and Contextual Correlates of Latent Bystander Profiles toward Racist Hate Speech
How does intergroup contact reduce prejudice? Meta‐analytic tests of three mediators
Self-efficacy pathways to childhood depression
| Citations per year | 5.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |