Did They Deserve It? Adolescents’ Perception of Online Harassment in a Real-Case Scenario

Clarissa Cricenti (), Alessandra Pizzo, Alessandro Quaglieri, Emanuela Mari, Pierluigi Cordellieri, Cristina Bonucchi, Patrizia Torretta, Anna Maria Giannini and Giulia Lausi
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Clarissa Cricenti: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alessandra Pizzo: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Quaglieri: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Emanuela Mari: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Pierluigi Cordellieri: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Cristina Bonucchi: State Police Postal and Communication Department, Ministry of the Interior, 00173 Rome, Italy
Patrizia Torretta: State Police Postal and Communication Department, Ministry of the Interior, 00173 Rome, Italy
Anna Maria Giannini: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giulia Lausi: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-14

Abstract: Online harassment, particularly cyberbullying and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, is a widespread phenomenon among adolescents and young adults. Descriptive research was carried out to investigate any differences among Italian school classes in the perception of cybercrime through a real-case scenario. Following the Italian school system, the final sample of 1777 adolescents (Mage = 15.37, SD = 1.65; Male = 52%) was divided into three groups based on the school class attended: middle school ( N = 562; Mage = 13.37, SD = 0.48); high school biennium ( N = 728; Mage = 15.55, SD = 0.50), and triennium ( N = 487, Mage = 17.40, SD = 0.71). Participants completed a self-report questionnaire investigating the use of the Internet and the perception of a real case scenario involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and cyberbullying received by the National Centre for Combating Child Pornography Online (NCPO). Results showed differences among the three groups’ perceptions of the event’s features, motivations underlying the offense, victim-blaming and harassment justification (e.g., cyberbullying, in particular non-consensual sharing of intimate images, is recognized as a crime as age increases). The findings provide significant insights for future research and age-specific factors to consider when developing prevention programs for online risks.

Keywords: cyber-crime; cyberbullying; victimization; social networking; moral disengagement; police force (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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