Poster #240 - Sharing Personal Information Online: Surprising Differences Between Boys and Girls

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Technology, Media & Child Development

Integrative Statement

As As the ubiquity of technology use permeates the lives of adolescents (Lenhart, 2015), digital devices have become a new medium through which adolescents explore risk- taking behaviour (Wolak et al., 2008). Specifically, the sharing of personal information online can put adolescents at risk of maladaptive outcomes, when shared information is used in incidents of cyberbullying (Srinivas, White, & Omar, 2011). What isn’t well understoodWhat remains unclear is whetherhow online risk-taking behaviours differ between males and females. , and whether different patterns of behaviour exist between genders. Two research questions guided this work: 1) Whether heavier use of social media sites (such as Facebook), over and above age, predicted publicly and privately sharing personal information online; and 2) Whether differences existed between males and females in the posting of public versus private information.


The sample included 158 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years (Mean 14 years). Participants were asked how likely they were to share various types of information publicly (publicly visible post) or privately (private message) online. For example, the sharing of a semi-nude photograph or home address. To answer the research questions, two hierarchical regressions was performed, based on two dependent variables of interest – public and private posting. In Block 1 of both models, age was entered as a covariate. Block 2 included main effects of Facebook use and gender. In order to identify possible differences among genders, Block 3 contained the interaction between Gender and Facebook use. Results from the first hierarchical regression (public sharing) indicated significant main effect of Facebook use in that adolescents who used Facebook more were significantly more likely to post publicly online (β = .069, p < .001). The interaction of gender and Facebook use indicated that for public posting, boys who reported heavier use of Facebook also reported that they were more likely than females to share information publicly online β = -.156, p < .017).

For the second hierarchical regression (private sharing), higher levels of self-reported Facebook use significantly predicted more private sharing of information. Interestingly, the opposite was true for the dependent variable of private posting, in that girls who reported heavy use of Facebook were significantly more likely than boys to report sharing private information online through private messages (β = -.255, p < .003).

Results illustrate different patterns of risky-behaviour among adolescent males and females. in that Hheavy Facebook use predicted different patterns of sharing. Of most concern is that shared information, regardless of whether it is shared publicly or privately, is still at risk of being spread as once an image is stored onto a secondary device (belonging to another person), it becomes available to be discovered and shared in perpetuity. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms behind differing patterns of sharing among males and females in order to better inform intervention programs that seek to protect the information of adolescents.

Authors

• Rachel Baitz, University of British Columbia
  Presenting Author

• Saira John, University of Alberta
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brett Holfeld, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland
  Non-Presenting Author