Not All Screen Time Is Equal: Cultivated Unstructured Socializing and Cyber Delinquency Among Incarcerated Youth in China

Abstract

Cyber delinquency has become a growing global concern as adolescents’ socialization increasingly unfolds online. This study introduces cultivated unstructured socializing to examine how different online activities, varying in structure, immersion, and peer orientation, are associated with unequal delinquency risks. Using 2023 survey data from a Chinese youth correctional institution, a high-delinquency sample that provides leverage for distinguishing activity-specific effects, we analyze how five online activities prior to incarceration relate to cyber delinquency and perceived peer cyber delinquency. Results show that more unstructured and immersive activities, particularly short-video viewing and chatting with strangers, are associated with higher levels of cyber delinquency, and higher perceived peer cyber delinquency partly accounts for these associations. In contrast, more structured activities, including watching movies or television episodes, playing games, and chatting with friends, show no significant association. These findings highlight the need for activity-specific platform governance to reduce youth cyber delinquency.

Keywords

cultivated unstructured socializing online activities cyber delinquency incarcerated youth China

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