Doctoral Dissertation Research: Protecting Children Online: The Construction of Deviance in Youth Internet Safety

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

The past decade has been marked by a flurry of attempts to make sense of what it is that youth are doing online, and the risks they face while doing so. Media reports of online sexual predation, widespread bullying, and difficulties with engaging youth Internet users in the classroom, have added urgency to these efforts. The risks that come with youth Internet use (for example, victimization, abuse, disconnection from standard modes of education) are in sincere need of policy attention. However, such policies can often restrict the very aspects of the Internet which have allowed it to become a vibrant platform for communication. The ways youth, school administrators, and policymakers come to differently understand Internet practice is of central concern to this research project, which asks the following questions: How do policymakers understand the risks youth Internet users face? How do youth understand their own practices online as risky, problematic, or acceptable? Have policies aimed at mitigating the risks of youth Internet use changed youth Internet practice? This project will be primarily conducted through 60 in-depth interviews with school administrators, policy-makers, and students, and cybersafety focus groups for members from participating school districts. Educational materials, internet safety policies, and media coverage will provide context for interview questions. This data will act as the basis for the development of research reports, which will be shared with school administrators, parents, and internet policy makers. Project results will also contribute to scholarly literatures on the dynamics of Internet use and policy, and to recommendations for Internet policy for youth Internet users.