Abstract:  Digital skills play a crucial role in shaping adolescents’ online experiences, serving both as a shield against harmful content and as a gateway to accessing it. Previous studies on online harmful content have predominantly focused on general exposure, overlooking the distinction between intended and unintended exposure (i.e., whether the adolescent deliberately sought out the content or was unexpectedly exposed to it). Moreover, existing studies did not consider the role of adolescents’ digital skills. This exploratory study aims to newly examine the role of the subtypes of digital skills in the intended and unintended exposure to harmful online content among adolescents from four European countries, as well as the influence of protective and risky factors according to the problem behavior theory. Using multinomial logistic regression, a sample of 3,934 adolescents aged 12 to 17 (M = 14.4, SD = 1.3; 51% boys) from Estonia, Finland, Italy, and Poland was examined. The results show different associations with respect to the type of exposure. For instance, knowledge skills and technical/operational skills were found to be associated with unintentional exposure to harmful online content, but not with intentional exposure. Similarly, the protective role of the family was suggested in intentional exposure but not in unintentional exposure. These findings underscore the importance of raising awareness among educators and parents regarding the dual nature of digital skills. Rather than solely emphasizing their protective potential, we shall acknowledge and address the potential risks associated with certain facets of digital proficiency.

Keywords:  adolescents; digital skills; harmful online content; intended exposure; risk factors; unintended exposure

Published:   23 January 2025

Issue:   Vol 13 (2025): Evaluating and Enhancing Media Literacy and Digital Skills