Online Communication Among Adolescents: An Integrated Model of Its Attraction, Opportunities, and Risks

Valkenburg, Patti M.; Peter, Jochen

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.08.020

Cited by 767 publications

(665 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…The popularity of the internet, and especially social media, among adolescents has been linked to the fact that they offer a platform for rehearsing and practicing self-presentation and self-disclosure-skills that are further related to the development of adolescents' identity, intimacy and sexuality (Valkenburg and Peter 2011). At the same time, young people may engage in potentially or actually harmful behaviors when they are online, such as cyberbullying, contact with strangers, and exposure to age-inappropriate content.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Knowledge of Adolescents’ Online Content and Contact Risks

Symons

Ponnet

Emmery³

et al. 2016

J Youth Adolescence

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Parental knowledge about adolescents' activities is an identified protective factor in terms of adolescent adjustment. While research on parental knowledge has focused on adolescents' offline behavior, there is little empirical understanding of parental knowledge about adolescents' online behavior. This study investigates parental knowledge about adolescents' online activities and experiences with online risks, as well as the correlates of such knowledge. Building on former research, open communication and knowledge-generating monitoring practices are investigated as potential correlates of parental knowledge. Use is made of triadic data, relying on reports from children aged 13 to 18, mothers and fathers within the same family (N = 357 families; 54.9 % female adolescents). The results showed that parents have little knowledge about the occurrence of online risks and their children's online activities. While mothers did not have more accurate knowledge compared to fathers, they did perceive themselves to be more knowledgeable than fathers. Associations between parental knowledge and hypothesized correlates were tested by means of one-way ANOVA tests and stepwise logistic regression models. Limited evidence was found for associations with parents' accurate knowledge about the occurrence of online risks. Engagement in knowledge-generating monitoring practices was linked to mothers and fathers' self-perceived knowledge about their children's online activities. For mothers, open communication with the child was linked to self-perceived knowledge. The findings suggest that parents need to be more aware of the possibility that online risks might occur and that more research needs to be done in order to understand what parents can do to improve their accurate knowledge.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Knowledge of Adolescents’ Online Content and Contact Risks

Symons

Ponnet

Emmery³

et al. 2016

J Youth Adolescence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For many young people the Internet provides opportunities they may not have in "real life". The Internet has been shown to be a particularly important way to address sensitive issues for sexual-minority youth as it gives the opportunity for sexual self-exploration in a relatively safe context where it is possible to be anonymous and where it may be easier to communicate than in a face-to-face meeting [2]. A study with same-sex attracted youth aged 14 to 21 showed that they use the Internet in order to practise their sexual orientation, to find same-sex friendships or intimacy, to disclose their sexual orientation, to inform themselves about same-sex sexuality, to practise sex online or to find out about and experience themselves as part of the gay community [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online or off-line victimisation and psychological well-being: a comparison of sexual-minority and heterosexual youth

Priebe

Svedin

2012

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

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Purpose: To compare sexual-minority and heterosexual youths' exposure to sexual abuse offline, problematic sexual meetings offline with person/s met online and online harassment with regard to prevalence, psychological well-being and support-seeking. Methods:A nationally representative sample of 3,432 Swedish high school seniors completed an anonymous school-based survey about sexuality, health, sexual abuse and online-related sexual victimisation or harassment.Results: Sexual-minority adolescents reported a greater rate of sexual abuse, problematic sexual meetings offline with person/s met online and online harassment, compared to heterosexual youth. When compared to nonvictimised heterosexual adolescents, victimised heterosexual adolescents and non-victimised and victimised sexual-minority adolescents reported more psychiatric symptoms, lower self-esteem and a weaker sense of coherence. Same-sex sexual orientation was related to more psychiatric symptoms, lower self-esteem and a weaker sense of coherence even when controlled for victimisation and gender. Compared to victimised heterosexual adolescents, victimised sexual-minority adolescents were more likely to seek support because of sexual abuse (females) or Internet-related problems (males and females). Results for sexual-minority youth were basically the same whether sexual orientation was assessed as sexual identity or as sexual or emotional attraction.Conclusions: Health care providers are challenged to not only provide the same care to sexual-minority youth who seek counselling or psychiatric treatment for mental health problems or problems related to victimisation that all adolescents should receive but also to find ways to address topics like prevention of sexual abuse and risk-taking behaviour online or offline.

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“…First, although there are risks in providing students with Internet capable technologies at school, there are also benefits which should be given comparable weight when policymaking. Second, students have a valuable perspective to add to the discussion about technology in education (e.g., Fletcher et al, 2015;Valkenburg & Peter, 2011) and they should therefore be involved in decision-making. Indeed, our participants enthusiastically suggested such an approach.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That is to say, young people are the group most likely to experience the impact of those changes (Prensky, 2001). They are also well positioned to inform ongoing research (Valkenburg & Peter, 2011). In addition, a large proportion of the digital native cohort is experiencing a rapidly changing school environment, socially, but also in terms of the delivery of curriculum content (e.g., Davis & Fullerton, 2016;Selwyn, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%