Risky and criminal online behavior is at risk of becoming normal among a generation of young people across Europe, according to EU-funded research which found that one in four 16-19 year olds trolled someone online and one in every three engaged in digital piracy.
An EU-funded study found evidence of widespread criminal, risk and delinquent behavior among the 16-19 age group in nine European countries, including the UK.
A survey of 8,000 young people found that one in four have tracked or trolled someone online, one in eight have engaged in online harassment, one in 10 have engaged in hate speech or hacking, one in five have engaged in sexting and one out of three ever involved in digital piracy. It also found that four out of 10 watched pornography.
Julia Davidson, co-author of the research and professor of criminology at the University of East London (UEL), said that risky and criminal behavior online is becoming almost normalized among a generation of young Europeans.
“Research indicates that a large proportion of young people in the EU are involved in some form of cybercrime, to the point that the conduct of low-level crimes online and risk-taking online has become almost normalized,” she said.
Davidson, who led the research with his UEL colleague Professor Mary Aiken, said the survey results pointed to greater male participation in risky or criminal behavior, with nearly three-quarters of men admitting to some form of cybercrime or online risk. , compared to 65% of women.
The survey asked young people about 20 types of online behavior, including looking at pornographic material, posting revenge pornography, making self-generated sexual images and posting hate speech.
According to the survey results, just under half of the participants engaged in behavior that could be considered criminal in most jurisdictions, such as hacking, non-consensual sharing of intimate images or “money mulling” – where someone receives money from a third party. and continues, in a practice linked to the product of cybercrime.
The survey, conducted by a research agency with previously used sample groups, found that half of 16- to 19-year-olds spent four to seven hours a day online, with nearly four in 10 spending more than eight hours a day. online day. mostly on phones. He found that the group’s top five platforms were YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok and Snapchat.
The nine countries in the survey were the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Romania. The country with the highest proportion of what the study calls “cyberdeviance” – a mix of criminal and non-criminal but risky behavior – was Spain at 75%, followed by Romania, the Netherlands and Germany at around 72%. The UK came in last with 58%.
The study was carried out in collaboration with Europol’s cybercrime centre, an EU body working with criminal agencies across the economic bloc and funded by the EU’s Horizon fund. It calls for greater education of young people and parents about what is potentially harmful and risky behavior online.
The findings were published against a backdrop of historic online regulation in the EU and UK. In the UK, the online safety bill, which returns to parliament this week, would create a host of new criminal offences. They include encouraging self-harm online and sharing deepfake pornography, i.e. images that have been manipulated to look like someone else without their consent.
Aiken said, “The online safety bill is potentially groundbreaking and addresses key issues facing all countries. It could act as a catalyst for holding the tech industry accountable. The bill establishes a series of important measures to protect children and young people; however, our findings suggest that there should be more focus on accountability and prevention, particularly in the context of youth online offending.”
The EU has just adopted the Digital Services Act, which requires major online platforms and Google to take action against risks such as cyber violence against women and online harm to children.
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