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Managing peer relationships online – Investigating the use of Facebook by juvenile delinquents and youths-at-risk

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While extensive research has been conducted on young people’s peer interaction via online communication, the focus has been on mainstream youths, with marginalized youth communities being understudied. To help address this inadequacy, the current study conducted interviews with Singaporean male juvenile delinquents (n = 36) to understand the role of online communication in their peer interactions and the salient characteristics of such interactions. Our findings show that Facebook was the principal tool of online peer interaction. However, given the particular circumstances of juvenile delinquents, online social networking presents issues that may compromise efforts to rehabilitate them. These include extending the time and opportunities for unstructured and unsupervised peer socialization, peer endorsement of delinquent acts and the pressure of having to display group loyalty in the online space. Even after rehabilitation, youths who attempt to distance themselves from their delinquent peers are challenged by the persistence of their online social networks.
... In other words, Neubaum (2021) offered an approach of cost appraisals to online political expression. By integrating social exchange theories (Kim, 2016;Stafford, 2014) and the extant scholarship on computer-mediated communication (e.g., Culnan & Markus, 1987;Lim et al., 2013;Postmes et al., 2002), the present study aims to extend Neubaum's work (2021) to other technological affordances and offer additional evidence on the role that individual appraisal of social risks plays in the relationship between technological affordances and political expression online. ...
... Network association indicates how much on-and offline networks overlap (Fox & Holt, 2018). For individuals perceiving high levels of network association, what they disclose online can have an impact on their life offline because their contacts can easily link their online expression with their real-life identity (Lim et al., 2013). Moreover, social contacts that are kept in one's on-and offline networks simultaneously are more relevant to their life. ...
... Our research shows that network association and anonymity did not affect most strategies of political expression on Quora directly but influenced them indirectly through expected social sanction. As a result of the link between on-and offline networks, individuals perceiving high levels of network association may be more concerned that their political expression online can be recognized by their offline contacts and thereby affect their real life (Lim et al., 2013). Thus, network association can heighten individuals' perceived risks of disclosing political opinion online, and consequently drives them to employ more strategies in online political expression. ...
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Drawing upon social exchange theories, the present study examines how technological affordances predicted individuals’ expectation for social sanction, and how their social motivation moderated the relationship between expected social sanction and their usage of political expression strategies. Results of an online survey of Quora users (N = 420) show that network association and anonymity predicted expected social sanction positively, which motivated individuals to use four strategies to express their political opinion strategically: self-censorship, adjusting expression, access control, and faking. Furthermore, these mediations except access control were consistently stronger when individuals exhibited higher levels of social motivation. This study provides additional evidence on the risk-appraisal approach to understanding political expression online and suggests that user motivation may play an important role in their political expression.
... Between January 2015 and June 2015 data was collected within the context of a designated Ending Gang and Youth Violence (EGYV) Borough (see HM Government, 2011) in London. This study utilizes established practices in the study of gangs and social media by blending the collection of qualitative data on and offline (Lane, 2018;Lim et al., 2013;Patton et al., 2019;Storrod & Densley, 2017;Stuart, 2020;Urbanik & Roks, 2020). Twelve focus groups were conducted with young people attending school and living in the Borough. ...
... As the digital footprint of gangs has increased, the inclusion of social media analysis in research has become increasingly prevalent to examine the online/offline dynamics of gang life (Lane, 2018;Lim et al., 2013;Storrod & Densley, 2017;Stuart, 2020;Urbanik & Roks, 2020). To avoid imposing bias by labeling young people as gang members, online early analysis of field notes from focus groups directed social media analysis. ...
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This unique qualitative study updates current literature on gangs and sexual violence by incorporating digital practices. This study applies the framework of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) which combines cyberstalking, coerced sexting, online sexual harassment, and sextortion, to the lived experience of young people in and around gangs in London. Findings are generated from a study that took place January–July 2015, which involved 240 young people taking part in 12 focus groups. Data is triangulated with content analysis of social media sites belonging to local gangs. Exploration of patriarchal and gendered practices that normalize sexual violence in gangs on and offline will be discussed. The link between gangs, TFSV, and criminal exploitation will also be established.
... Literature covering research on media community-based projects and delinquency -or even media use from an audience perspective -is rare but required if we aim to comprehend better the institutionalised youths' needs (Carvalho & Serrão, 2014;Lim, Basnyat, Vadrevu, & Chan, 2013a;Lim, Chan, Vadrevu, & Basnyat, 2013b;Lim et al., 2012). Some point to positive digital impacts on institutionalised youth's well-being. ...
... Some point to positive digital impacts on institutionalised youth's well-being. Others find a correlation between media and at-risk and juvenile delinquent practices (Lim et al., 2013b). The majority point to youth and media representations via foster care, delinquency, and crime in the media -specifically in the news media (Riggs, King, Delfabbro, & Augoustinos, 2009) and how particular types of media influence children and youth (Bleakley et al., 2020) negatively. ...
Article
Institutionalised youths who are digitally disconnected while long-standing in detention centres (in Portugal, these are called educational centres) face constraints to their digital rights. Given that most youths already come from deprived contexts, their present and future lives are deeply challenged. This article explores data collected in the participatory project DiCi-Educa, based on institutionalised youths’ digital media production and critical thinking, regarding issues such as digital citizenship, participation, and otherness. Using a participatory action research (PAR) methodology, they were stimulated to widen their views of the world and reflect on their digital rights and acts of participation using digital media. Institutionalised youths’ understandings before the project were centred on the use of social media, video games, illegal downloads, and hacking. Thus, during the project, they were challenged to debate participatory acts using the internet and digital media as tools for social change. The results point to these tools as relevant opportunities to the disconnected settings of the ECs. We recommend the need to tackle critical methods for thinking the digital realm as a path to building critical skills with these youths. Widening their views of the world can stimulate their well-being and contribute to avoiding risky behaviours.
... Similarly, in South Korea, the early adoption of smartphones among youth, with 92.6% of sixth graders reporting ownership, mirrors this global trend. This surge in digital interaction and social media engagement has led to new variants of aggression, including cyberbullying, harassment, unauthorized sharing of intimate images, and further exposure to cyber sex crimes, with significant implications for adolescent communities [15,16]. ...
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This study examines the relationship between cyber violence and cyber sex crimes, specifically focusing on these crimes as systemic issues among adolescents. The research highlights the severe impact of cyber sex crimes, characterized by the non-consensual sharing of sexually explicit content. It examines various factors that may contribute to witnessing cyber sex crimes, including exposure to violent online content, personal experiences of cyber violence (either as a victim or perpetrator), and the role of parental and teacher interventions. Utilizing data from a nationwide survey conducted by the Korea Communications Commission, the study analyzes responses from 9016 adolescents in 2021 and 9693 in 2022. This analysis reveals significant predictors of witnessing cyber sex crimes and examines how perceptions of cyber violence and interventions of authoritative figures may influence adolescents’ perception of cyber sex crimes as either systemic or individual issues. With females disproportionately affected, the findings underscore a gendered aspect of cyber violence. Furthermore, these insights suggest that perceiving cyber violence as a serious issue leads to viewing cyber sex crimes as systemic problems necessitating societal intervention. The study advocates for enhanced digital literacy education and systemic changes to protect adolescents from the widespread threats of cyber violence and sex crimes.
... Although it looks democratic, the virtual world suffers from violence and gender inequality, similar to the offline world (5). Some acts that fall under cyber violence include harassment, invasion of privacy, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, and online threats (6,7). Genderbased violence (GBV) is experienced by many women and girls online (8)(9)(10). ...
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Background: The Internet, especially social media, is also at risk of being misused and triggering violence against humans. Gender-based violence (GBV) facilitated by new technologies is a phenomenon that increasingly affects the privacy and safety of women and girls in and out of cyberspace. This study aimed to describe the physical, mental, social, cultural, and economic impacts of gender-based violence of cyber. Methods: This study used a descriptive survey. The population of this study was adolescents in the East Java region; the sample size was 480 adolescents selected using a purposive sampling technique, with the following criteria: adolescents aged 12-25 years and willing to be respondents.
... For example, several studies found that youth who sought help online were more likely to use the internet for suicide-related purposes [38] and experience social anxiety, psychological distress, self-harm behaviors, and suicide [39,40], while other studies reported that online communication might provide social and emotional support, which could facilitate ones' coping with depression and stress [41][42][43]. In general, as a large number of studies have indicated, seeking help from peers and friends in real life is preferred by the young population, compared with formal help sources (ie, professionals) and unfamiliar people online [5,[44][45][46]. Adolescents at lower risk of suicide and mental health problems are more likely to engage in offline help seeking from peers and friends [43,47]. ...
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Background: Social networking sites (SNSs) have gained popularity in recent years for help seeking and self-distress expression among adolescents. Although online suicidal expression is believed to have major benefits, various concerns have also been raised, particularly around privacy issues. Understanding youths’ help-seeking behavior on SNSs is critical for effective suicide prevention; however, most research neglects the impacts of the private SNS context. Objective: This study aims to examine youths’ private SNS use via the new Instagram feature, Close Friends, and its association with both online and offline help-seeking willingness as well as youths’ suicidality. Methods: This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach with a combination of explorative qualitative interviews and a systematic quantitative survey, targeting youth aged 15-19 years in Hong Kong. The motivations for utilizing Close Friends and concerns regarding online expression were addressed in the focus group and individual interviews (n=40). A cross-sectional survey (n=1676) was conducted subsequently with eligible secondary school students to examine the prevalence of Close Friends usage, their online and offline help-seeking willingness, and suicide-related experiences. Results: A total of 3 primary motives for using Close Friends were identified during interviews, including (1) interaction and help seeking, (2) release of negative emotions, and (3) ventilation and self-expression. Most participants also highlighted the privacy concerns associated with public online communication and the importance of contacting close friends for emotional support. Survey results showed that use of Close Friends was quite prevalent among adolescents (1163/1646, 70.66%), with around 46% (754/1646, 45.81%) of respondents being frequent users. Differences by gender and school academic banding were also revealed. Regarding help-seeking intentions, youths were generally positive about seeking help from peers and friends offline (1010/1266, 79.78%) yet negative about seeking assistance from online friends or professionals with whom they had not yet developed a real-world connection (173/1266, 13.67%). Most notably, frequencies of Close Friends usage were differentially associated with online and offline help-seeking willingness and youths’ suicidality. Compared with nonusers, those who had ever used the feature were more likely to seek offline support (adjusted odds ratios [AORs] 1.82-2.36), whereas heavy use of Close Friends was associated with increased odds of online help-seeking willingness (AOR 1.76, 95% CI 1.06-2.93) and a higher risk of suicidality (AOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.01-2.31). Conclusions: The popularity of Close Friends reflects the increasing need for private online expression among youth. This study demonstrates the importance of Close Friends for self-expression and private conversation and inadequacy of peer support for suicidal adolescents. Further research is needed to identify the causal relationship between Close Friends usage and help-seeking willingness to guide the advancement of suicide prevention strategies. Researchers and social media platforms may cooperate to co-design a risk monitoring system tailored to the private SNS context, assisting professionals in identifying youth at risk of suicide.
Article
Exposure to cyberviolence among adolescents has become a societal issue in the media-saturated world. In this study, we examine whether or not exposure to violent media content, victimization or perpetration experiences, parental and teacher intervention, susceptibility, knowledge of viable responses when exposed to cyberviolence, and awareness of legal consequences influence the witnessing of cyberviolence among adolescents. Additionally, we investigate the characteristics that lead to good citizenship behavior when adolescents witness cyberviolence. We analyzed annual national survey data from 2018 to 2022 among adolescents in South Korea, including data collected from students ranging from grades 4 to 12. There were patterns that existed across five survey years; adolescents who were more exposed to violent media content, who were younger, and who experienced being perpetrators were more likely to be in an environment where they witnessed cyberviolence. The results also showed that less exposure to violent media content and knowing viable responses when witnessing cyberviolence increased the likelihood of adolescents adopting good citizenship behaviors. Educating adolescents about viable actions they can take when witnessing cyberviolence can lead to good citizenship. Making the online ecosystem a safe space for adolescents requires the attention of several parties: adolescents, parents, teachers, and online platforms.
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R.M. Lerner, Foreword: Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Community and After-School Programs. Part 1. Social and Cultural Perspectives. J.L. Mahoney, R.W. Larson, J.S. Eccles, H. Lord, Organized Activities as Development Contexts for Children and Adolescents. D.A. Kleiber, G.M. Powell, Historical Change in Leisure Activities During After-School Hours. D.W. Osgood, A.L. Anderson, J.N. Shaffer, Unstructured Leisure in the After-School Hours. D.M. Casey, M.N. Ripke, A.C. Huston, Activity Participation and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents in the Context of Welfare Reform. S. Pedersen, E. Seidman, Contexts and Correlates of Out-of-School Activity Participation Among Low-Income Urban Adolescents. F.A. Villarruel, M. Montero-Sieburth, C. Dunbar, C.W. Outley, Dorothy, There Is No Yellow Brick Road: The Paradox of Community Youth Development Approaches for Latino and African American Urban Youth. B. Kirshner, J. O'Donoghue, M. McLaughlin, Youth-Adult Research Collaboration: Bringing Youth Voice to the Research Process. Part 2. Developmental Processes and Outcomes. R. Larson, D. Hansen, K. Walker, Everybody's Gotta Give: Development of Initiative and Teamwork Within a Youth Program. B.L. Barber, M.R. Stone, J.E. Hunt, J.S. Eccles, Benefits of Activity Participation: The Roles of Identity Affirmation and Peer Group Norm Sharing. H. Stattin, M. Kerr, J. Mahoney, A. Persson, D. Magnusson, Explaining Why a Leisure Context Is Bad for Some Girls and Not for Others. J.E. Jacobs, M.K. Vernon, J.S. Eccles, Activity Choices in Middle Childhood: The Roles of Gender, Self-Beliefs, and Parents' Influence. S.A. O'Neill, Youth Music Engagement in Diverse Contexts. T.K. Scanlan, M.L. Babkes, L.A. Scanlan, Participation in Sport: A Developmental Glimpse at Emotion. J.L. Duda, N. Ntoumanis, After-School Sport for Children: Implications of a Task-Involving Motivational Climate. H. McIntosh, E. Metz, J. Youniss, Community Service and Identity Formation in Adolescents. J.S. Eccles, The Present and Future of Research on Activity Settings as Developmental Contexts. Part 3. Integrating Research, Practice, and Policy. K. Pittman, J. Tolman, N. Yohalem, Developing a Comprehensive Agenda for the Out-of-School Hours: Lessons and Challenges Across Cities. J. Walker, M. Marczak, D. Blyth, L. Borden, Designing Youth Development Programs: Toward a Theory of Developmental Intentionality. J. Rhodes, R. Spencer, Someone to Watch Over Me: Mentoring Programs in the After-School Lives of Children and Adolescents. D.L. Vandell, L. Shumow, J. Posner, After-School Programs for Low-Income Children: Differences in Program Quality. S.A. Gerstenblith, D.A. Soule, D.C. Gottfredson, S. Lu, M.A. Kellstrom, S.C. Womer, S.L. Bryner, After-School Programs, Antisocial Behavior, and Positive Youth Development: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Program Implementation and Changes in Youth Behavior. J. Quinn, Building Effective Practices and Policies for Out-of-School Time.
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