Ms Hauwau Danbaba

Research project: Cyber-crimes and risks: A study on young people's attitudes, exposure to online risks and psycho-social challenges

Abstract

Internet has become an everyday essential part of life for children and adolescents, and Internet usage can lead to the access of enormous knowledge, increased skills, and create positive relationships, however, when used incorrectly, there is high chance that they may be misled. The advance of digital media has created risks that affect the bio-psycho-social well-being of adolescents. Some of these risks are cyberbullying, cyber dating abuse, sexting, online grooming and problematic Internet use. In developing countries or sub-Saharan countries like Nigeria, the literature on the prevalence of cyberbullying is very scarce, although there is evidence of increasing electronic media use. As stated above, most Nigerian youths have access to the internet but do not know how to use it safely. Technology can either support young people's education and socialization or pose some risks to their well-being. Also, these risks pose a threat in Nigeria because the lack of digital literacy leads to ignorance.

The aim of this research is to understand and explore the experiences of online violence, the understanding of digital risks towards the younger generation, and its effect on the psychological, physical, emotional, and social variables of an individual and its extension to online lives such as coercively controlling and monitoring social media in developing countries such as Northern Nigeria. This will also lead to the development of an intervention that answers questions and creates methods that contribute to understanding ways to stay safe online.