Children’s Information Disclosure Tendencies On Social Networks

Yıl 2017, Cilt: 25 Sayı: 2, 597 - 610, 15.03.2017

Kürşat Çağıltay Ömer Faruk İslim Duygu Nazire Kaşıkçı Engin Kurşun Türkan Karakuş Yılmaz

Öz

This descriptive study aims to identify children’s information disclosure tendency in
social network environments, their social network use habits and potential risky behaviors.
The study was conducted in Turkey’s three largest cities (Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir), and
data were gathered with a survey through face-to-face meetings with randomly selected 524
children between 9 and 16 years old who used social networks, and their parents. The survey
consisted total of 38 Likert-type questions that 25 of them were asked to children in order to
learn about their social network memberships and habits, and 13 of them were asked to parents
in order to collect data about their demographics. Data were analyzed to make descriptive and
comparative analysis to see tendencies of children while using SNs and some factors influencing
information disclosure. Results show that as children’s age increases, the amount of Internet
usage also increases. The most frequently used social network site is Facebook. Although the
minimum age to create a profile on most social network sites is 13, results show that nearly
half of the children who reported having a profile were younger than that. Most of the children
share personal information such as mobile telephone numbers, home addresses and names of
family members with anyone who accessed the networking site. The researchers suggest that
parent’s and children’s awareness should be raised about the use of social networks to prevent
the potential negative consequences of sharing private information. Moreover, social network
developers must take necessary actions to protect children’s online privacy. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

Social Networks, Facebook, Internet Safety, Online Risks

Çocukların Sosyal Ağlarda Kişisel Bilgi Paylaşım Eğilimleri

Öz

Bu betimleyici çalışma, çocukların sosyal ağlarda kişisel bilgi paylaşım eğilimleri, sosyal
ağları kullanma alışkanlıkları ve potansiyel riskli davranışlarını belirlemeyi hedeflemektedir.
Bu çalışma Türkiye’nin en büyük üç şehrinde (İstanbul, Ankara ve İzmir) gerçekleştirilmiş
olup, veriler rastgele seçilen 9 ile 16 yaş aralığındaki sosyal ağ kullanıcısı 524 çocuk ve
velileri ile yüz yüze görüşmeler yapılarak toplanmıştır. Bu görüşmeler esnasında her çocuk
ve yanında bulunan velisine 25 sorusu çocukların sosyal ağ üyelikleri ve sosyal ağlardaki
davranışları ile ilgili, 13 sorusu da velilerinin demografik bilgileri ile ilgili, toplam 38 sorudan
oluşan 5’li Likert tipi soru sorulmuştur. Soruların oluşturulmasında EU Kids Online projesi
ve PEW çalışması kapsamında geliştirilmiş anketlerden yararlanılmıştır. Veriler, çocukların
sosyal ağ kullanımındaki eğilimleri ve kişisel bilgi paylaşım alışkanlıklarını etkileyen faktörleri
elde etmek için betimsel ve karşılaştırmalı olarak analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlar göstermektedir
ki çocukların yaşları arttıkça sosyal ağ kullanımı artmaktadır. En çok kullanılan sosyal ağ
Facebook’tur. Pek çok sosyal ağ sitesi üzerinde hesap oluşturabilmek için en az 13 yaşında
olmayı gerektirirken, çalışmaya katılan çocukların neredeyse yarısı 13 yaşından küçük
olmalarına rağmen sosyal ağlarda hesapları bulunmaktadır. Çalışmaya katılan çocukların
çoğunluğu cep telefonu numaraları, ev adresleri ya da aile üyelerinin isimleri gibi kişisel
bilgilerini herhangi bir kısıtlama olmaksızın üyesi oldukları sosyal ağlardaki tüm kullanıcılar
ile paylaşmaktadırlar. Araştırmacılar yaşanabilecek herhangi bir olumsuz durumu önlemek adına hem ailelerin hem de çocukların sosyal ağ kullanımı konusunda bilinçlendirilmeleri ve
ayrıca sosyal ağ geliştiricilerinin de çocukların çevrimiçi güvenliğini sağlamak adına gerekli
çalışmaları yapmaları gerektiğini bildirmektedirler. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sosyal ağlar, Facebook, İnternet güvenliği, Çevrimiçi riskler

Kaynakça

• Alexa: The Web Information Company. (2011, November 15). The top 500 sites on the web. Retrieved from http://www.alexa.com/topsites
• Benson, V., Saridakis, G., & Tennakoon, H. (2014). Purpose of social networking use and victimisation: are there any differences between university students and those not in HE? Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 867-872.
• Boyd, D. (2008). Why youth (heart) social network sites: The role of networked publics in teenage social life. In D. Buckingham (Ed.), Youth, Identity, and Digital Media (pp. 119-142). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Boyd, D., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Com-munication, 13(1), article 11. Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html
• Brener, N. D., Billy, J. O. G., & Grady, W. R. (2003). Assessment of factors affecting validity of self-reported health-risk behavior among adolescents: Evidence from the scientific literature. Journal of Adolescent Health, 33(6), 436- 457.
• Collier, A., & Magid, L. (2011, May 10). A parents’ guide to Facebook. Retrieved from http://www.connectsafely.org/pdfs/fbparents.pdf
• Consumer Reports (2011, June). That Facebook friend might be 10 years old, and other troubling news. Retrieved from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/june/electronics-computers/state-of-the-net/facebook-concerns/index.htm
• Davidson, J. & Martellozzo, E. (2013). Exploring young people’s use of social networking sites and digital media in the Internet safety context, Information, Communication & Society, 16:9, 1456-1476, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2012.701655
• De Souza, Z., Dick, G.N. (2009). Disclosure of information by children in social networking—Not just a case of “you show me yours and I’ll show you mine”, International Journal of Information Management, 29, pp. 255–261.
• Duncan, S. H. (2008). MySpace is also their space: Ideas for keeping children safe from sexual predators on social–networking sites. Kentucky Law Journal, 96, 527-577.
• Duerager, A., & Livingstone, S. (2012). How can parents support children's internet safety?. Retrieved from http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/EUKidsOnline/EU%20Kids%20III/Reports/ParentalMediation.pdf.
• Erdur-Baker, Ö. (2010). Cyber bullying and its correlation to traditional bullying, gender, and frequent and risky usage of internet mediated communication tools, New Media and Society, 12, 109-126.
• EU Kids Online II Project (2011). Turkish questionnaires. Retrieved from http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/EUKidsOnline/EU%20Kids%20II%20(2009-11)/Survey/National%20questionnaires/TurkeySurvey/Turkish_questionnaires.aspx
• Hew, K. (2011). Students’ and teachers’ use of Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 662–676.
• Hinduja S, & Patchin JW. (2010). Bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide. Arch Suicide Res. 14(3):206 –221
• Houghton, D. J., & Joinson, A. N. (2010). Privacy, social network sites, and social relations. Journal of Technology in Human Ser-vices, 28(1-2), 74-94.
• Karaiskos, D., Tzavellas, E., Balta, G., & Paparrigopoulos, T. (2010). Social network addiction: A new clinical disorder? European Psychiatry, 25, 855.
• Kisekka, V., Bagchi-Sen, S., & Rao, H. R. (2013). Extent of private information disclosure on online social networks: An exploration of Facebook mobile phone users. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(6), 2722-2729.
• Kuss, D., J. & Griffiths, M., D. (2011). Online Social Networking and Addiction—A Review of the Psychological Literature. Inter-national Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8, 3528-3552.
• Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2007). Social networking websites and teens. Retrieved from Pew Research Center website: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/198/report_display.asp
• Leyden, J. (2009). Zuckerberg pictures exposed by Facebook privacy roll-back, The Register. London.
• Li, Q. (2007). New bottle but old wine: A research of cyberbullying in schools. Computers in Human Behavior, 23(4), 1777-1791.
• Lin, K.-Y., & Lu, H.-P. (2011). Why people use social networking sites: An empirical study integrating network externalities and motivation theory. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(3), 1152-1161.
• Livingstone, S. (2008) Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers’ use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. New Media & Society, 10(3): 393-411.
• Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Görzig, A., & Ólafsson, K. (2011). Risks and safety on the internet: The perspective of European chil-dren: Full Findings. Retrieved from http://www2.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/EUKidsOnline/EU%20Kids%20II%20(2009-11)/EUKidsOnlineIIReports/D4FullFindings.pdf
• Livingstone, S., Cagiltay, K. & Olafsson, K. (2015). EU Kids Online II Dataset: A cross‐national study of children's use of the Inter-net and its associated opportunities and risks. British Journal of Educational Technology. 46 (5), 988-992.
• McLoughlin, C., & Burgess, J. (2009). Texting, sexting and social networking among Australian youth and the need for cyber safety education. Paper presented at the AARE International Education Research Conference, Canberra.
• Ogan, C., Karakus, T., Kursun, E., Cagiltay, K. & Kasikçi, D. (2012) Cognitive interviewing and responses to EU kids online survey questions. "Children, Risk and Safety on the Internet: Kids Online in Comparative Perspective", pp.33- 43. Bristol: The Policy Press.
• O'Keeffe, G.S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Pediatrics, 127, 800–804.
• Pempek, T., Yermolayeva, Y., & Calvert, S. (2009). College students' social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Ap-plied Developmental Psychology, 30, 227-238.
• Şener, G. (2009). A Facebook Use Study in Turkey. Paper presented at the XIV The Internet in Turkey Conference, Ankara, Turkey.
• Siegle, D. (2010). Cyberbullying and sexting: Technology abuses of the 21st century. Gifted Child Today, 33(2), 14-65.
• Socialbakers.com (2013, April 2). Facebook Statistics by Country. Retrieved from http://www. socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/
• Staksrud, E., Ólafsson, K., & Livingstone, S. (2013). Does the use of social networking sites increase children’s risk of harm? Com-puters in Human Behavior, 29, 40–50.
• Statista.com (2014, September 25). Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 2nd quarter 2014. Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/
• Strater, K., & Lipford, H. R. (2008, September). Strategies and struggles with privacy in an online social networking community. In Proceedings of the 22nd British HCI Group Annual Conference on People and Computers: Culture, Creativity, Interaction-Volume 1 (pp. 111-119). British Computer Society. Taraszow, T., Aristodemou, E., Shitta, G., Laouris, Y., & Arsoy, A. (2010). Disclosure of personal and contact information by young people in social networking sites: An analysis using Facebook profiles as an example. International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, 6(1), 81-102.
• TurkStat (2014, September 25). Hanehalkı Bilişim Teknolojileri Kullanım Araştırması. Retrieved from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id=13569#
• Valkenburg, P. M., Peter, J., & Schouten, A. P. (2006). Friend networking sites and their relationship to adolescents' well-being and social self-esteem. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(5), 584-590.
• Wauters, E., Lievens, E., & Valcke, P. (2015). Children as social network actors: A European legal perspective on challenges con-cerning membership, rights, conduct and liability. Computer Law & Security Review, 31, 351-364.