Digital Uses Victimization and Online Aggression

Authors: Blaya Catherine Fartoukh Michael

Publish Date: 2015/09/19

Volume: 22, Issue: 2, Pages: 285-300

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Abstract

With the growing use of electronic communication among children and adolescents the Internet has become an important tool for their socialization and has opened up new perspectives for network and community building opportunities However the Internet and electronic communication tools can be used either positively or negatively and the spread of its use in these recent years has led to online risky behaviours and harm This questionnaire survey was completed in five primary schools and seven lower secondary schools in the South of France It sets out to assess the digital uses risk taking and negative experiences online among primary and secondary school students in France N = 4200 Findings show that primary school students are pretty well involved in digital communication since they spend an average of 150 min per day online vs 190 for secondary school participants Social networking is also part of their lives with 17  of primary school children and 50  secondary school students who use Facebook In terms of risk taking only 49  of primary students and 39  of secondary school students report they personally know all their online friends Cyberbullying figures show that quite a few respondents have been affected with negative experiences among which some were repeatedly victimized 14  in primary schools and 5  in secondary schools These findings highlight the necessity to take the issue of educating towards a positive and safe use of the Internet seriously and that primary school children also need to be provided with proper guidance towards a safer InternetThis publication and the study presented has been produced with the financial support of the DAPHNE programme of the European Union European Daphne III Program Project JUST/2011/DAP/AG/3259 Tabby in Internet Threat Assessment of Bullying Behaviour among youngsters Tranferring Internet Preventive procedures in Europe The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the authors of the article and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission No conflict of interest is present

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