Young people’s attitudes towards online safety and cybercrime : quantitative research
Muurikainen, Heidi (2026)
2026
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202604288184
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202604288184
Tiivistelmä
Digitalisation and the constant presence of online environments have brought both opportunities and risks into young people’s everyday lives, shaping how they communicate, learn and spend their free time. Young people’s own digital competence and attitudes play a central role in how they behave and how effectively they can protect themselves online. Adolescence is a period of intense development, influenced by numerous internal and external factors. At the same time, it is a stage of life associated with a peak in criminal activity.
Previous studies indicate that the average age of first-time cyber offenders has decreased in recent years, highlighting the need to understand the engagement in online security. The objective is to determine young people’s attitudes toward cyber security, as well as how different circumstances and perceptions of cybercrime are formed. The commissioner for this study is the National Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime Exit project, a preventive initiative, designed to recognise and intervene in serious cybercrime committed by young people.
The research was conducted as quantitative research among lower secondary school students and was complemented by a light literature review for theoretical background. The data was collected using a standardised questionnaire. The data analysis focused on cybercrime and related attitudes rather than device usage alone, utilizing descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and chi-square test to examine differences between groups, and Spearman's correlation to assess the relationships between variables.
Findings indicate a strong security understanding, with certain situational characteristics. Rules and laws within gaming environments were seen as separate from those outside it, creating some ambiguities and blurred boundaries. In addition, peer pressure was somewhat prevalent and seemed to overrule some security awareness. These findings suggest a vulnerability and a potential entry point for cybercriminal recruitment.
Previous studies indicate that the average age of first-time cyber offenders has decreased in recent years, highlighting the need to understand the engagement in online security. The objective is to determine young people’s attitudes toward cyber security, as well as how different circumstances and perceptions of cybercrime are formed. The commissioner for this study is the National Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime Exit project, a preventive initiative, designed to recognise and intervene in serious cybercrime committed by young people.
The research was conducted as quantitative research among lower secondary school students and was complemented by a light literature review for theoretical background. The data was collected using a standardised questionnaire. The data analysis focused on cybercrime and related attitudes rather than device usage alone, utilizing descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and chi-square test to examine differences between groups, and Spearman's correlation to assess the relationships between variables.
Findings indicate a strong security understanding, with certain situational characteristics. Rules and laws within gaming environments were seen as separate from those outside it, creating some ambiguities and blurred boundaries. In addition, peer pressure was somewhat prevalent and seemed to overrule some security awareness. These findings suggest a vulnerability and a potential entry point for cybercriminal recruitment.