Risks of Online Victimisation Among College Students' on Mobile Social Networks

This research paper aims to investigate the relationship between the attitudes of social network users and the risks of victimisation online. It also aims to use the results to explore a more comprehensive and effective approach towards the development of cyber policing and safety education programmes targeting young adults who make up the majority of social network users. Through a survey of 55 students at Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia, this paper examines students' social network habits and attitudes through a self-report measure and inferences from their daily behaviours on social network applications through their mobile smartphones ( MSNAs). Bivariate correlational analyses such as the Pearson's r and Spearman's rho (rho) reveal that online victimisation risks were significantly correlated with the time spent on MSNAs (rho = .44; p < .01), feelings of anxiety if accounts were not checked (rho = .33; p = .02), feelings of restlessness if experiences were not shared (rho = .42; p = .01), and willingness to personally meet up with strangers befriended on MSNAs (rho = .30; p = .03). The results can shed light towards enhancing better cyber policing and safety education programs, aim to detect risky behaviours and prevent students from being potential victims on the cyber space.