The use of the Internet and new technologies now seems to permeate the entire society, affecting every aspect of daily life. Although this change is characterized by undeni- able positive aspects, it simultaneously bears a number of risks which are higher especially with respect to the growing number of younger users. In fact, young people, as the most involved in cyber space, are an age group most exposed to the dangers of improper and not aware use of electronic tools. The specific aim of this research was to study unwanted online attentions (UOA) among a sample of Italian students (N=585, mean age=14.5), identifying UOA as all those behaviors carried out through the Internet and technology to annoy, disturb, offend, humiliate, intimidate, threat, harass, harm or attack others. The online questionnaire investigated the online habits of the students, the presence of UOA and the characteristics of victims and perpetrators, the perception and emotional impact of such conducts, and the victims' possible reactions. The findings offer an estimate of the prevalence of these behaviors in the population of this age group in the area considered. More importantly, the results reveal a very high involvement in technology by the students accompanied by a lack of awareness regarding the risks connected to technology use as well as a low perception of UOA. These results give evidence of the needs in terms of prevention and education instruments in order to improve the system of responses to cybervictimization among young people.

Unwanted online attentions among an Italian students sample / De Fazio, Giovanna Laura; Sgarbi, Chiara. - In: EUROPEAN JOURNAL ON CRIMINAL POLICY AND RESEARCH. - ISSN 0928-1371. - ELETTRONICO. - 22:2(2016), pp. 219-234. [10.1007/s10610-015-9296-4]

Unwanted online attentions among an Italian students sample

DE FAZIO, Giovanna Laura;SGARBI, Chiara
2016

Abstract

The use of the Internet and new technologies now seems to permeate the entire society, affecting every aspect of daily life. Although this change is characterized by undeni- able positive aspects, it simultaneously bears a number of risks which are higher especially with respect to the growing number of younger users. In fact, young people, as the most involved in cyber space, are an age group most exposed to the dangers of improper and not aware use of electronic tools. The specific aim of this research was to study unwanted online attentions (UOA) among a sample of Italian students (N=585, mean age=14.5), identifying UOA as all those behaviors carried out through the Internet and technology to annoy, disturb, offend, humiliate, intimidate, threat, harass, harm or attack others. The online questionnaire investigated the online habits of the students, the presence of UOA and the characteristics of victims and perpetrators, the perception and emotional impact of such conducts, and the victims' possible reactions. The findings offer an estimate of the prevalence of these behaviors in the population of this age group in the area considered. More importantly, the results reveal a very high involvement in technology by the students accompanied by a lack of awareness regarding the risks connected to technology use as well as a low perception of UOA. These results give evidence of the needs in terms of prevention and education instruments in order to improve the system of responses to cybervictimization among young people.
2016
22
2
219
234
Unwanted online attentions among an Italian students sample / De Fazio, Giovanna Laura; Sgarbi, Chiara. - In: EUROPEAN JOURNAL ON CRIMINAL POLICY AND RESEARCH. - ISSN 0928-1371. - ELETTRONICO. - 22:2(2016), pp. 219-234. [10.1007/s10610-015-9296-4]
De Fazio, Giovanna Laura; Sgarbi, Chiara
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
UOA-EJCPR 2015.pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipologia: Versione pubblicata dall'editore
Dimensione 722.99 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
722.99 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
De Fazio and Sgarbi (2015) Unwanted Online Attentions among an Italian students sample - CRIM-D-15-00023_R1-2-33.pdf

Open access

Tipologia: Versione dell'autore revisionata e accettata per la pubblicazione
Dimensione 989.38 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
989.38 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1082126
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 2
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 3
social impact