Online Protection, Agency, and Wellbeing for Adolescent Girls and Boys in the MENA Region

The research explores the experiences of adolescent girls and boys in online interactions and their impact on adolescents’ sense of safety, agency, and wellbeing. The study employed qualitative research methods focusing on adolescent children aged 10-17. It was conducted in four provinces across Lebanon and Türkiye.

The research in Türkiye and Lebanon confirmed that the internet occupies a significant space in the everyday life of children and adolescents in both countries. Children start using the internet from the early age of five, and hours spent on the digital platforms increase with age. While children benefit from learning applications and advanced technologies, online interactions at the same time bring along risks for children and adolescents as they might encounter unpleasant, inappropriate, or emulative content mostly unsuitable for their age and are subject to economic abuse. Moreover, children face the risk of fraud, cyberbullying, and abuse through social media, gaming, and networking platforms. Smartphones are observed to be the main devices children use to connect to the internet, which gives them easy access from any location and reduces the ability of caregivers to control. The research examined the possible ways of providing safe internet use for children and adolescents and practices of increasing awareness of potential risks, trying to elaborate further on the concerns and expectations of caregivers and children.