The role of digital literacy and self-care in cyberspace victimization

This study aimed to identify the role of digital literacy and cyberspace self-care on cyber victimization which was done using a correlation method.

The study population consisted of all adolescent girls and boys 13 to 18 years old in Tehran, whom 278 adolescents were selected as samples with use of virtual snowball sampling. Participants in this study answered the online Digital Literacy Scale for Teenagers, the Cyberspace Self-Care Questionnaire, and the Cyber Stalking Victimization Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 and Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis (enter).

Result indicated that there is significant negative relationship between digital literacy and cyberspace self-care and the dimensions of cyberspace victimization and only there is no significant relationship between information skills and sexual victimization. Also, among the predictor variables, both cyberspace self-care and digital literacy, except for the lack of predictability of information skills in all three dimensions of cyberspace victimization, are important predictors of cyberspace victimization, especially in the dimension of reputation.

The study findings underscore the importance of paying attention to the use of cyberspace by adolescents and planning and doing the strategies to reduce the effective factors related to cyberspace victimization and harm and the need for education in the field of cyberspace self-care and digital literacy by parents and education system for the safe use of this space.