Original article
Youth Internet Victimization in a Broader Victimization Context

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.06.009Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

To examine past-year and lifetime rates of online victimization and associations with offline victimizations, trauma symptomatology, and delinquency among adolescents.

Methods

Data were collected through telephone interviews from a nationally representative sample of 2,051 adolescents (ages, 10-17) as part of the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. Data were collected between January and May, 2008.

Results

Six percent of youth reported a past-year online victimization and 9% a lifetime online victimization. Almost all youth reporting a past-year online victimization (96%) reported offline victimization during the same period. The offline victimizations most strongly associated to online victimization were sexual victimizations (e.g., sexual harassment, being flashed, rape) and psychological and emotional abuse. Online victims also reported elevated rates of trauma symptomatology, delinquency, and life adversity.

Conclusions

Prevention and intervention should target a broader range of behaviors and experiences rather than focusing on the Internet component exclusively. Internet safety educators need to appreciate that many online victims may be at risk not because they are naive about the Internet, but because they face complicated problems resulting from more pervasive experiences of victimization and adversity.

Section snippets

Methods

The National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) conducted telephone interviews to obtain information about victimization in a US national sample of 4,046 children, aged 2-17. The survey was carried out between January and May 2008. The sampling methodology and procedures are described in detail elsewhere [13], [14]. The NatSCEV relied on a list-assisted random digit dial (RDD) telephone survey design for sample selection and data collection. A short interview was conducted with

Past-year and lifetime rates of online victimization relative to offline victimization

Online victimization was one of the least common victimizations that youth experienced (Table 1). Six percent of youth reported an online victimization in the past year—3% reported an unwanted sexual solicitation and 4% reported harassment. Six percent of youth also reported witnessing family violence. Sexual victimizations (12%) and maltreatment by caregivers (14%) were more common. Furthermore, nearly half (48%) of all the youth experienced face-to-face physical assaults. Patterns for

Discussion

Although online victimization has been one of the most publicized forms of youth victimization of late, it actually affects a relatively small segment of the population in comparison with victimizations like face-to-face assaults, child maltreatment, and property crimes. Moreover, it does not occur in isolation. Virtually all youth reporting a past-year online victimization in the current study (96%) reported an offline victimization in the same period. Thus, it is important that awareness of

Implications and Conclusions

Since youth reporting any online victimization also had elevated levels of offline victimizations, life adversity, trauma symptomatology, and delinquency, Internet safety prevention, intervention, and screening should not be stand-alone activities. Furthermore, youth who are identified with offline victimizations, delinquency, adversity, and mental health problems should be screened for online victimization and provided with education about Internet safety skills. Conversely, those reporting

Acknowledgments

For compliance with Section 507 of Pub L No. 104-208 (the Stevens Amendment), readers are advised that 100% of the funds for this program were derived from federal sources (this project was supported by grant 2006-JW-BX-0003, awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice Programs, US Department of Justice). The points of view and opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.

References (24)

  • P. Huguenin et al.

    Cyber bullies. Special report: Girls gone wild gets a horrifying new meaning

  • A.R. Gonzales

    Target sexual predators: We owe it to our children to protect them. New, tougher laws would help to do that

  • Cited by (135)

    • Critical race theory and victimization

      2023, Implications of Marginalization and Critical Race Theory on Social Justice
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text