Cyber Deviance among Adolescents and the Role of Family, School, and Neighborhood: A Cross-National Study

The ever ubiquitous spread of information and communication technology (ICT) has enabled an increasing number of youth access to the Internet leading to a rise of illegal downloading and hacking problems (Cyber Deviance). To date most criminological studies on illegal downloading or hacking have focused on college samples and have been confined to a single city or country. This study, using data from the second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2), examined illegal downloading and hacking perpetration among adolescents from 30 countries around the world. Participants were 68,507 students attending high schools (7th, 8th, and 9th grade). Using gender, grade (proxy for age), and access to a computer at home as covariates the study examined parental control, attachment to family (relationships, family leisure and eating dinner together), self-control, attitudes towards violence, attachment and disorganization to school, and attachment, integration and disorganization of the neighborhood as possible predictors of illegal downloading and hacking. Regression analysis revealed that all of the independent variables with the exception of family leisure were significantly associated with either illegal downloading or hacking to a differing degree. The findings and their implications for future studies are discussed.