How Do High-Risk Youth Use the Internet? Characteristics and Implications for Prevention

Abstract

Using data from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey, a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,500 youth Internet users (ages 10 to 17), this study explores differences in Internet use characteristics between high risk youth and other Internet users. Those youth who engaged in aggressive behavior online and those who used the Internet on a cell phone were about twice as likely to be classified as high risk (having experienced high parent conflict or child maltreatment) as compared to other Internet users. Those youth who talked with known friends online were significantly less likely to be included in the high risk group. Controlling for demographic and Internet use characteristics, youth who received an aggressive sexual solicitation were almost 2.5 times as likely to report experiencing physical abuse, sexual abuse or high parent conflict. Implications for prevention are discussed, including avenues for reaching high risk populations of youth.

Does the use of social networking sites increase children’s risk of harm?

“…Valkenburg and Peter (2009) propose a 'rich get richer' hypothesis, namely that those with already wide networks gain disproportionally by extending these online, building on earlier theories of knowledge gaps, technology diffusion and the digital divide. Others are investigating the converse, namely that those already disadvantaged offline (whether lonely or dissatisfied or with psychological problems) are becoming newly vulnerable online also (Mitchell, Finkelhor, & Wolak, 2007;Wells & Mitchell, 2008). These parallel research literatures are thus exploring the emerging opportunities -for education, expression and civic participation (Kalmus, et al, 2009;Livingstone & Helsper, 2010;Valkenburg & Peter, 2009) and the emerging risks -for cyberbullying, sexual harassment and stranger contact (Brandtzaeg, Staksrud, Hagen, & Wold, 2009;Erdur-Baker, 2010) of SNS use.…”

“…When cyberbullying was encountered in social networking sites it tended to be sexual and it occurred in communities in which the users are anonymous, which is not the case on many SNS. A study of high risk users found little association with particular platforms of Internet use, although high risk youth are more likely to talk to new people they meet online (Wells & Mitchell, 2008), and this facility is enabled by SNS; the EU Kids Online survey found that 39% of 11-16 year olds are in contact with "friends of friends" online that they do not know face-to-face, and 25% contact people online who have no connection to their offline lives (Livingstone, Haddon, Görzig, & Ólafsson, 2011).…”

Sweet Child in Time: Online Sexual Abuse of Children – A Research Exploration

“…Of those who met the youngsters from Cluj Napoca 12.4% said nothing of their actual intentions, and only 7.4% made an indecent offer. Several studies confirm that youngsters are brought together online by personal interest, shared hobbies and age-related characteristics (see for example Wells & Mitchell, 2008;Dombrowski et al, 2007).…”

Adolescents and the Internet: What Mental Health Clinicians Need to Know

“…Research using the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey showed that "high risk" youth (those exposed to severe abuse or parent conflict) were more likely to talk with people they met online, engage in online aggression, and receive aggressive sexual solicitation [61]. A longitudinal study with a similar sample showed that adolescents exposed to early family conflict prefer online communication over in-person contact, seek support from others online when feeling depressed, yet form weak relationships with people met online [62••].…”