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Abstract

The research conducted within this dissertation found that in the contemporary landscape of 2024, social media has become integral to daily life, accelerated by COVID-19, with over 66% of the global population online by 2022. However, concerns over social media use are highlighted as even children under 13 access these platforms, and research outlined in this study has indicated an alarming surge in online grooming, prompting calls for stricter measures on these platforms. While social media aids mental well-being, it also exposes children to risks like sexual grooming, exacerbated by inadequate age restrictions and verification methods (Bozzola et al., 2022; Greyson et al., 2023).
This study examines the opinions and experiences of the participants by asking them to retrospectively reflect on their use of social media through an online survey. The participant sample, selected through a convenience sampling method, consisted of 66.2% females (N=100) and 32.5% males (N=49), with 1.3% (N=2) selecting a different answer. The findings showed that a large percentage (91%, N=138) of the participant sample advocated for the implementation of age verification methods on social media to ensure the age limit is enforced. Additionally, over three-quarters of the participant sample indicated that they did not believe current safety features on social media are effective in preventing online child grooming incidents. The findings reported from the data collected suggest there is considerable concern among participants regarding the safety and regulation of social media platforms, particularly concerning issues such as age verification and online child grooming. This research provides interesting conclusions regarding the role of social media in the technological facilitation of online child grooming and proposes avenues for future research regarding the possible development and application of age verification methods on social media platforms to mitigate the risks associated with its use by children

Course: Criminology and Forensic Studies - BSc (Hons) - C2039F

Date Deposited: 2024-11-21

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14554.html