Examining ethical questions of Internet usage among 9. and 10. grade grammar school students

Abstract

For high school students, using the Internet is a natural part of everyday life. In addition to the indisputable advantages of the World Wide Web, there are also many dangers, the existence and significance of which young people are not always aware of.

Our research among small town grammar school students (N = 125) examined the students' characteristics regarding ethical issues related to Internet use by an online questionnaire. Based on the results of our study, we found that students spend a relatively large amount of time on the World Wide Web, most often visiting various social media sites, and more people only keep in touch with people known in cyberspace.

The use of social media and the chances of becoming a victim of cyberbullying showed a partial correlation. We verified that those students who post photos of themselves on various sites had already received sexual content inquiries or were harassed in some situations several times. 23% of students have encountered some form of cyberbullying in their lifetime.

Examining the addictions, we found that most students tend to feel an urge to play some kind of computer game or view social media notifications during the day.

Regarding computer games, 40% of students play some online games regularly, and a higher proportion of violent content programs are among these games.

Our results also have a message for the long-term strategic planning of everyday pedagogical work and media awareness education. It is important to know and understand the functioning and characteristics of the online environment that surrounds our children. The prevention of Internet threats is of paramount importance, and it may be necessary to organize preventive, sensitizing programs and lectures in institutions.