Rational choice and situational convergence: an examination of adolescent cyber victimization from an integrated theoretical perspective
Da Dong, Xinyi Lu, Liping Yang, Luyue Zhou · 2026
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Description
Da Dong and co-authors build a theory-driven account of why teenagers get victimized online. Their 2026 paper fuses two criminology frameworks. Routine activity theory says harm occurs when a motivated offender, a suitable target, and missing guardianship converge, while rational choice theory adds that offenders weigh reward against risk. Adolescents, the authors argue, often look like ideal targets in that calculus: visible, trusting, and lightly supervised in digital spaces.
Developmental habits do much damage, since heavy self-disclosure raises a teen's profile while drawing offenders who see high reward at low cost. Guardianship, from parents, platforms, and schools, is frequently thin exactly where teens spend their time. The proposed prevention system works on three fronts: raising the cost of offending, strengthening multi-party guardianship, and breaking up situations where offenders and unguarded targets meet. The aim is practical protection of teenagers' information, property, and personal safety.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Da Dong, Xinyi Lu, Liping Yang, Luyue Zhou |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 45 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |