Abstract:

Proliferation of digital technologies brought about new risks such as cyber bullying, sexual exploitation, online fraud and loss of personal information. Along with increasing penetration rate of digital technologies into our lives, individuals are frequently facing online risks. Research suggested children are one of the most vulnerable groups. The aim of the current study is to investigate the breadth and depth of children’s’ confrontations with online risks through the school counselors’ eyes. Data were collected from 21 school counselors through a seminar program which was held within second semester of 2014-2015 academic year. Participants were asked to respond to four open ended questions regarding children’s confrontations with online risks. Data were analyzed with inductive analyses and descriptive statistics. Results suggested children confronted a breadth of online risks including sexual content, financial exploitation, restriction, identity theft, communication risks, addiction and offensive messages.

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