Online at Risk! Research of Online Activities of Children in Care Institutions: Experience of Croatia

Lucija Vejmelka
Department of Social Work, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb

A virtual environment is an important domain of subjective well-being of children. Wide usage of technologies brings various benefits and numerous risks. This topic is “hot” and actual for professionals in different fields. In reality, there is a lack of research in child care settings about their experiences in the virtual environment. Summary of Croatian experiences in the field of internet usage and cyber safety for children and youth in child care will be presented.

Survey, both quantitative and qualitative, in cooperation with the Institute for Public Health of Split-Dalmatia County was conducted among children (N=1350) from: primary and high schools and institutions for children (dormitory homes and child care institutions) about their online activities. Presentation will cover research findings for the subset of children from the care institutions. Standardized scales were used in the research and strong ethical guidelines for conducting research with children and young people were covered. Children in care in this county are involved in different risky behaviors in a virtual environment and are exposed to numerous of online risks. In the second phase, qualitative research was conducted and quantitative research findings were discussed with children from care. These results enable a better understanding of young people`s behaviors in the online world. Research findings served as part of the framework for planning guidelines for the development of educational programs for children and young people.