The ethics gap in adolescents’ online communication

Abstract

Context and relevance. Digital technologies create new contexts for the moral choices of adolescents, significantly different from traditional forms of social interaction. The theoretical framework of the study is the concept of the “ethical gap” by C. James, combined with modern approaches to studying the influence of the digital environment on the transformation of moral norms in online communication. Objective. To identify the main behavioral practices of the ethical gap in the online communication of adolescents with different levels of problematic social media use. Hypothesis. Adolescents with problematic social media use more frequently exhibit behavioral practices associated with the ethical gap. Methods and materials. The study involved 539 adolescents aged 12 to 18 (M = 14, SD = 1,7). A cross-sectional design was used with an online survey. Problematic social media use was diagnosed using an adapted questionnaire based on the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. A special structured questionnaire was developed to operationalize indicators of the ethical gap. Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney U-test and Pearson’s χ² test. Results. Adolescents in the high-risk group were significantly more likely to be in a digital environment with a higher concentration of destructive content, demonstrated a willingness to discuss socially sensitive topics, used profanity, exhibited negative emotional reactions to criticism, and were more frequently both victims and initiators of aggression. A significant association was found between family structure and the level of problematic use of social media. Conclusions. The phenomenon of the ethical disconnect is not universal, even among adolescents in the high-risk group, as evidenced by the preservation of basic moral guidelines among the majority of respondents. It can be assumed that the influence of specific characteristics of the digital environment contributes to the weakening of moral guidelines among adolescents from risk groups.