Gender Differences in the Manifestation of Risky Forms of Adolescents' Behavior on the Internet

University of Zagreb, Faculty ofTeacher Education, CroatiaIntroductionHighly developed technology, rapid flow of information and global mobility are just some of the characteristics of the times we live in today. New technologies are a part of everyday life of almost every child and adolescent. The speed with which children and adolescents master new technologies is truly amazing. We can say that children are very adept at using computers and the Internet, but do not have the adequate knowledge about them and are mostly not aware of the consequences that may arise as a result. It is an indisputable fact that the Internet has made our lives easier and better. It offers access to an array of useful, educational and entertaining information. The Internet is available to everyone. Laniado and Pietra (2005) point out that it is precisely its availability, immensity and impartiality that cause its risks. The Internet has also no taboos or censorship. Anything can be published by anyone, and in such a way that the published information, pictures, videos or messages are visible to all Internet users. Therefore, the Internet contains a vast amount of information and content inappropriate for children and young people. It is true that the amount of useful content on the Internet greatly outnumbers the amount of harmful content; however, the latter often has a greater attendance rate and receives more interest than the useful and appropriate content (Aftab, 2000). Everyone knows that forbidden fruit is much more interesting, which is especially true for adolescents. Adolescence is a very specific period in human development, filled with a lot of "unbridled joy and seemingly inconsolable grief and bewilderment, loneliness, altruism and selfishness, insatiable curiosity and boredom, self-confidence and insecurity" (Conger, 1979, p. 6). Due to their youthful, exploratory spirit, adolescents are attracted to precisely those harmful portals that promote pornography, websites that encourage hatred, spread rumors and slander under the guise of news, websites that suggest certain forms of auto-destructive behavior with topics such as suicide, anorexia, Nazism, abortion methods or kidnapping (Vuletic, Jelicic, & Karacic, 2014). Scientists in this field of research that examine dangers that threaten children and adolescents on the Internet usually cite the following as the most common: disturbing, aggressive or impolite e-mail messages, exposure to sexual and violent content, as well as content that promotes discrimination and hatred, pedophilia, direct communication with strangers, encouragement of the publication of important and personal data, encouragement of illegal activities (e.g. buying and consuming tobacco products, alcohol and narcotics, gambling, etc.) and the possibility of becoming a victim of Internet violence, which has been described as a growing global phenomenon (Aftab, 2000; Bilic, 2014; Stanic, 2010; Zivkovic, 2006). With the development of modern technologies and new media, classic crime is gradually spreading from the real world to virtual space by means of the Internet. Electronic violence is described as an extended form of traditional violence. These two forms are significantly different as victims cannot escape violence that is not limited by time and place, and malicious information is spread quickly and is easily accessible to everyone (Kernaghan & Elwood, 2013; Vuletic, Jelicic, & Karacic, 2014). Victims of electronic violence are helpless, cannot defend themselves, and, thanks to the anonymity provided by the Internet, possibilities to reveal and punish abusers are minimal (Bilic, Buljan Flander, & Rafajac, 2014). Research conducted on a suitable sample in 23 schools in Croatia in 2010 by UNICEF, within the program "Break the chain! ", has shown that 23.8% of children between 10 and 15 years of age think that it is fun to send someone anonymous disturbing messages. According to the results from the same research, 57. …