A Look at Online Behaviors of Adolescent Girls in the United States and New Zealand
CFS’s Ilene Berson, PhD, along with her husband Michael J. Berson,PhD., Associate Professor in the Secondary Education Department at the University of South Florida, has recently published a research study in the Social Science Computer Review, an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed scholarly journal that covers societal impacts of information technology.
The article, Challenging Online Behaviors of Youth: Findings From A Comparative Analysis on Challenging Online Behaviors of Adolescent Girls in the United States and New Zealand, has generated much interest worldwide and was recently discussed at an international conference on cybersafety and security that was held at Oxford University. International coverage of the study results has been disseminated throughout the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The Bersons frequently collaborate with New Zealand partners, and they serve as editors of the international perspectives section of New Zealand’s national internet safety website.
“Child-serving professionals have struggled to understand the often complex emotional and behavioral responses of children and youth who are immersed in interconnected environments and consumed by digital technologies,” said Ilene Berson.
The article reports that “as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, laptops with wireless computing, digital cameras, and digital videos figure more prominently in the list of readily available tools that are accessible to children and youth, technology has become increasingly demanding on the development of skills necessary for engagement in an environment that is not constrained by time or space.”
“Unfortunately,” added Berson, “as young people spend more time online, they are at an increased risk for exposure to violence and/or exploitation.”
In 1999, the Bersons developed an online survey on Internet activity for adolescent girls, ages 12 to 18, that was hosted on the Internet site of a popular teen magazine, Seventeen Magazine. Questions used in the survey were piloted through surveys of middle school students in the United States. Subsequent to release of the US study results in 2000, the online survey was replicated by a child advocacy group in 2001 in New Zealand, a country that has implemented a national Internet safety initiative.
Survey results confirm that when online, “a significant number of adolescent girls are engaging in risky activities, including disclosing personal information, sending personal photos to online acquaintances, and arranging face-to-face meetings.”
The article reports that the objective of both research initiatives included the identification of online activities of children and youth that may contribute to risk of exploitation and abuse, discussion of the differential role of mediating factors in protecting young people’s well-being in cyberspace, and a clarification of policies and practices that may contribute to safety for children online. Findings from this study are being applied to the development of Internet safety interventions and public policy through cross-national collaborative efforts.
“Raising the sensitivity of young people to how their online communications may impact others appears to be an essential component of educational programs to prevent harmful online communication."
For additional information, or to view the article, contact Ilene Berson at berson@fmhi.usf.edu
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