Many teenagers have trouble controlling their Internet impulses. They are looking for a quick thrill and a feeling of power online, which may increase the riskCyber Crimeto become.
A new study from Flinders Criminology examined existing links between legal online activity and cybercrime - for example how online gaming can evolve into hacking.
The study's authors explain why illegal online activity is encouraged by the idea that the Internet blurs normal social boundaries among young users. In this way, young people between the ages of 12 and 19 are tricked into committing misconduct that they would not consider in the outside world.
Professor Andrew Goldsmith says illegal online activity is particularly attractive to young people who are already prone to curiosity and secret thrill-seeking. However, the Internet encourages experimentation on new levels that are easily accessible.
“It is becoming increasingly important to understand the connection between young people's emotional drivers and the commission of crime, as well as between humans and computers, to find out why the Internet easily attracts young usersdigital piracy and hackingseduced.”
“We use the word seduction to describe the processes and features of the online environment that make online activities attractive and compelling. For some young people, the Internet is like a seductive swamp that, while very attractive, is also very sticky and difficult to leave.”
Professor Goldsmith says there needs to be a deeper understanding of the powerful technologies regularly used by young people and recognizes that not all motivations for offending indicate deep criminal pathology or criminal justice involvement.
“Policy should consist of interventions that take into account the lack of worldly experience among many juvenile offenders. Online technologies make it difficult to weigh potential risks and harm from actions. A tendency to seek thrills, particularly common among young men and encouraged by the Internet, can produce a form of myopia about the consequences.”
“Effective government responses need to think about the range of motivations that young people bring to their online behavior and seek support from young people when it comes to effective regulatory changes.”
The study was carried out on the website ofEuropean Journal of Criminologypublished
