Social Media and Delinquency: Exploring the Relation between Online and Offline Interaction with Friends and Online and Offline Delinquency

Abstract

This study explores the relation between online exposure to delinquent behaviour and time spent online with peers on adolescents’ (traditional and digital) delinquent behaviour, controlled for offline exposure to delinquent peers and time spent offline with peers. Survey data were collected among two small samples of adolescents: one of 132 mostly older adolescents (M = 18.6, range = 15-27), and one of 66 younger and low educated youths (M = 16, range = 15-17). The results suggest that for the younger adolescents, online interaction with peers on social media may have a substantial influence on traditional as well as digital delinquent behaviour, but for the older adolescents no statistically independent effects for the online peer variables were found. The study not only warrants further research but also demonstrates the usefulness of new methods and approaches to investigate online as well as offline communication with peers and exposure to peer delinquency.