NCJ Number
223832
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 227-234
Date Published
August 2008
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study explored differences in Internet use characteristics between high-risk youth and other Internet users.
Abstract
Findings of the study show that high-risk youth were identified as high risk if they reported experiencing sexual abuse, physical abuse, or high parent conflict in the past year. Vulnerable youth tend to be at risk for victimization and life adversity offline (Finkelhor and Asdigian, 1996), and current findings suggest this may carry over to the Internet as well. A profile of high-risk youth Internet use was identified using backward stepwise logistic regression to estimate the odds of being high risk as compared to other Internet users. High-risk youth differed significantly from other Internet users in terms of age, race/ethnicity, use of the Internet on cell phones, talking with known friends online, engaging in aggressive online acts, and receiving aggressive sexual solicitations. The findings suggest that these youth should be targeted for prevention, but may be difficult to reach because of mental health concerns associated with physical and sexual abuse (Turner et al., 2006). Although this group of youth may be difficult to reach through current prevention programs aimed at parents, child welfare practitioners and others working with high-risk youth are in a unique position to bridge this gap. Youth between the ages of 13 and 17 were twice as likely to be classified as high risk. Data were used from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey, a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,500 youth Internet users 10 to 17 years old, and a caregiver. Various measures and limitations of the study are discussed. Tables, references