Development of an Online Risk Scale for High School Students

The behavioral aspects of children’s internet usage have been well-researched; however, the psychological aspects of related issues, such as children’s awareness of online risks and problems, remain underexplored. To analyze students’ perception of the risks associated with internet use, we developed an Online Risk Perception Scale comprising 12 items related to sensitivity to online trouble, online anonymity, and internet dependency. The scale was then distributed to 1264 students from three high schools in Japan. The results of the reliability and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the scale demonstrated reasonable reliability. Some variations among the participating schools were also observed, which may be attributed to the schools’ risk awareness programs and preventive measures related to problematic online behaviors. This study also examined the relationship between the scale and students’ actual experiences of online perpetration, victimization, and excessive internet use. However, no clear results were obtained, indicating the need for further investigation.