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Prior Publisher

The Association of Digital Forensics, Security and Law (ADFSL)

Abstract

Developing Internet technology has increased the rates of youth online harassment. This study examines online harassment from adolescents with low self-control and the moderating effect of opportunity. The data used in this study were collected by the Korea Institute of Criminology in 2009. The total sample size was 1,091. The results indicated that low self-control, opportunity, and gender have a significant influence on online harassment. However, these results differed according to gender; for males, low self-control significantly impacted online harassment; for females, however, only low self-control significantly impacted online harassment. Furthermore, the interaction between low self-control and opportunity did not significantly influence online harassment for either gender. The results of multiple regression strongly supported Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) theory, but other models divided by gender only partially supported interacting effects. Thus, low self-control theory should be applied by genders. These results can help to guide investigations of online misconduct and application of digital forensics resources as well as suggest policies and practices to prevent and remediate it.

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