Social Media and Delinquent Behavior: How Online Friends May Encourage Offending
Summary
Previous research shows that adolescents who are exposed to delinquent peers and spend much time socializing with their peers are more likely to be involved in delinquent behavior. However, while a considerable part of our social world has moved online, little is known about how this translates to online peers on social media like Facebook and WhatsApp. Using a dataset of older adolescents, this study examines to what extent spending online time with peers and exposure to delinquent behavior on social media are related to adolescents’ own delinquent behavior. Implications for theory and policy are discussed.