Testing the Routine Activity and Problem Behavior Theories to Understand Young People’s Involvement in Cyberhate. A Cross-national Study

• In Event: Individual and Familial Risk and Protective Factors in Cyberhate Involvement

Abstract

Recent evidence shows that adolescents across Europe are increasingly encountering hateful content on the Internet. And yet, there is a lack of empirically tested theories that could explain adolescents’ involvement in cyberhate. To fill this gap, the present study aims to test two theories to explain adolescents’ involvement in cyberhate. Participants were 5433 adolescents (ages 12 and 16 years old; Mage = 14.12, SDage = 1.38; 49.8% boys from ten countries of the EU Kids Online IV survey. Adolescents completed self-report questionnaires on their cyberhate involvement, experiences of data misuse, frequency of contact with unknown people online, problematic aspects of sharenting, witnessing cyberhate, excessive Internet use, and sensation seeking. Results showed that being a target of cyberhate was positively associated with experiences of data misuse, and contact with unknown people (target suitability), sharenting (lack of capable guardianship), and witnessing cyberhate, excessive Internet use, and sensation seeking (exposure to offenders). Being a perpetrator of cyberhate was positively associated with contacting unknown people, excessive Internet use, and sensation seeking, (online problem behaviour). Findings support the general usefulness of using Routine Activity Theory to explain cyberhate victimisation and Problem Behaviour Theory to explain cyberhate perpetration. The findings of this research can be used to develop intervention and prevention programs by providing information about the types of educational programs that should be incorporated to protect adolescents from cyberhate involvement.

Authors

• Angela Mazzone, Dublin City University
  Presenting Author

• Sebastian Wachs, University of Potsdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tijana Milosevic, Dublin City University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michelle Faye Wright, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• James O'Higgins Norman, Dublin City University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Catherine Blaya, Université Côte d’Azur
  Non-Presenting Author