University of Kashmir

School of law

IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO JUVENILE

DELINQUENCY: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

A Minor Project Report Submitted

To
Dr. Saba Manzoor

By
Shakeel Ahmad (16042122012)
Shahid Ahmad Mir (16042122085)
Sonobar Mir (16042122045)
 Impact of Social Networking to Juvenile Delinquency

Abstract— Social media make a significant contribution on online that connects a group of
community that interact and exchange knowledge. Some extensively used social platforms
such as Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and
Reddit. These not just social networking platforms but also where people can share their
details with the people and community. Company owners will also sell their goods via social
media and earn crowd funding. Data analytics gathers and analyses data from social
networking platforms that allow companies and business to make a smart choice. Social
media also has a paramount impact on students and youth to consider human nature and
adversely becoming greedy and fanatical. Thus, social media is being utilized for the
construction and as well degradation of people from all backgrounds of life.
Keywords— Social media, Youth, Facebook, Impact, social networking sites.
 Introduction
Social Networking involves the use of the internet to connect users with their friends, family
and acquaintances. Social Networking websites are not necessarily about meeting new people
online, although this does happen. Instead, they are primarily about connecting with friends,
family and acquaintances you already have in real life. These sites allow you to share photos,
videos and information, organize event, chat, download music and even play games like
Scrabble, Chess online. Often each of your friends, family or acquaintances will be friends
with several other friends. Just like in real life, the connections between people aren’t just
one-on-one but a network of connections. This online social networking is very useful in
spreading information, pictures and videos. For example, you can easily set up a web page
with pictures and details of an event you might be planning such of as school fete. The site
allows you to send out invitations to other users of social networking sites. Then, if given the
option by the host, those who are invited can send out more invites to their friends who might
like to attend – hence, the network As defined, a social networking service is an online
service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networking or social
relations among people who for example share interest and or activity. A social network
service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links and
variety of additional services. Most social network services are web-based and provide means
for users to interact over the internet, such as email and instant messaging. Online community
services are sometimes considered as a social network service, though in a broader sense, a
social network service usually means an individually- centered services whereas online
community services are group centered social networking sites allow users to share ideas,
activities, events and interest, within their individual networks.
This creates an ambiance that attracts users to continue the use of networking sties. Social
Networking is nice form of entertainment, also great for meeting people with similar interests
and can be a very effective business technique for entrepreneurs, writers, actors, musicians or
artists.
 Objectives of the study
This study aimed to determine the effects of social networking to juvenile delinquency. The
specific objectives of this study are as follows:
First; to know which among social networking sites were mostly used by the juveniles,
second; to identify which among the following sites greatly contributed to the development
of juvenile delinquency as perceived by the respondents,
And lastly, to propose measures to counter ill effects of social networking to juvenile
delinquency.

Data Collection
The data was collected from primary as well as secondary resources the primary data was
collected with the help of well-structured questionnaire in Google form. The questionnaire
was administered to various school students between the age group of 15-18 via social media.
Some of the data was obtained by interviewing the teachers of primary schools and the
parents of children aged between 15 and 18. The secondary data was collected from previous
studies and internet.

Analysis of Data
After collecting the required information with the help of questionnaire the data was
analyzed. There were 20 boys and 20 girls as sample respondents. Therefore the analysis was
done separately for boys and girls the analysis was comparative between boys and girls.
 Impact analysis of social media on juveniles
In this section an attempt has been made to analyze the collected data by using percentage
method and average method.

Table number 1 hours spent on social media in a day

Frequency Percentage
SR. Time Spent
No
Boys Girls Boys Girls

1. 1-2 Hours 2 7 2.00 7.00

2. 3-4 Hours 3 3 3.00 3.00

3. 4+ Hours 15 10 15.00 10.00

Total 20 20 20.00 20.00

The Table No. 1 reveals that 75% boys and 50% girls spent more than 4 hours on Social
Media in a day. The above data shows that 15% boys and 15% girls spent 3-4 hours on Social
Media. Only 10% boys and 35% girls spent 1-2 hours on Social Media.
 Table No. 2 use of Social Media late night
Frequency Percentage
Sr. No. Response

Boys Girls Boys Girls

1. Yes 17 15 17.00 15.00

2. No 3 5 3.00 5.00

Total 20 20 20.00 20.00

Table No. 2 shows that 85% boys and 75% girls use Social Media networking sites late night.
Only 15% boys and 25% girls that they don’t use Social Media late night.
 Table No. 3 Purpose of use of Social Media
Frequency Percentage
Sr. No Purpose
Boys Girls Boys Girls

1. Keep up with 8 12 8.00 12.00

news/gossip/trends

2. To feel a sense of belonging 0 0 0.00 0.00

Contact and connect 3 5 3.00 5.00

3.
family/friends

Interact with new people 2 0 2.00 0

4.

Organize events 0 0 0 0
5.

Sharing/linking posts 7 3 7.00 3.00

6.

Total 20 20 20.00 20.00

Table No. 3 shows that 40% boys and 60% girls use social media for news/trends and
gossips. 0% boys and 0% girls use social media to feel a sense of belonging 15% boys and
25% girls use social media to connect with family and friends. Only 10% boys and 0% girls
use social media to interact with new people. No boy or girl from one respondents is using
social media for organizing events. 35% boys and 15% girls are using social media for
sharing/liking posts.
 Table No. 4 Skip/Delay meal while using Social Media.

Sr. No Response Frequency Percentage

Boys Girls Boys Girls

1. Always 2 1 2.00 1.00

2. Sometimes 18 14 18.00 14.00

3. Never 0 5 0.00 5.00

Total 20 20 20 20

Table No. 4 shows those only 10% boys and 5% girls skip/delay their meals while using
social media. 90% boys and 70% girls responded that they sometimes delay or skip their
meals while using social media. 0% boys and 25% girls never skip/delay meals while using
social medial.
 Observation
 Most of the teenagers spend more time on social networking site.
 Results show that the respondents use social media networks less for educational
purpose.
 Majority of the respondents from both the categories sometimes skip or delay
their meal while using social media networking.
 Almost all the respondents from both categories use social media networking site

The above cited statistics show that juveniles spend considerable time on social networking
sites and there is no doubt that this duration has got only enhanced with all the children
locked up in their houses due to the pandemic. Presently, nuclear families form the highest
percentage of households in India and therefore, the children are naturally inclined to feel
isolated and they end up killing hours on social media for entertainment, chatting with their
friends, sharing content, etc. Many a time, parents are simply unaware of what their kids are
doing in their rooms and a wide communication gap may exist between the parents and their
children. Taking into consideration the above-listed factors and how emotionally vulnerable
juvenile are, social networking sites come in handy to these youngsters to vent out their pent-
up sadness, anger, and frustration in the form of unconscionable crimes.

Teens sharing nudes, indulging in sexting that is sharing or posting sexually suggestive
images, and sharing other pornographic content have become commonplace. In May 2020, a
private chat group, ―Bois Locker Room‖ hit the headlines when an Instagram user leaked
chats from the group where members were found sharing objectionable pictures of underage
girls, objectifying them, and planning ―gang rapes‖. This was a harrowing incident of Cyber
Pornography on a social media platform popular among youngsters. The Information
Technology Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860 contains provisions providing
protection against this act and in addition to this, the POSCO (Amendment) Act, 2019 has
defined child pornography and enhanced the punishment for its possession and distribution.

As harmless as they may seem, social media challenges have proved to lure vulnerable
juveniles into life-threatening situations. For instance, the Momo Challenge, an internet hoax
through which children were being enticed to perform a series of self-harming acts including
suicide, and the Kiki Challenge under which the participant has to step out of a moving car,
perform the dance and jump back into the car while it is moving, that led to a series of
casualties in various cities of India.

Cyberbullying is another devil that we have to not only protect our juveniles from but also
prevent them from perpetrating it. Due to the relative anonymity of the online environment,
teenagers find cyberbullying as a safer alternative to bullying in-person and innumerable
reasons, ranging from settling personal grudges to deriving pleasure from tormenting others,
may be responsible for such tendencies among juvenile. Body-shaming or mocking a
person’s physical appearance is a conventional form of bullying especially on social media
websites on which teenagers spend hours scrolling through pictures of a variety of models.
Such an act not only has harrowing psychological and emotional effects on the victim but
also reeks of a petty mentality among children at a very tender age. Apart from this, Digital
piracy, which refers to the illegal act of downloading or sharing a digital work without the
permission of the copyright holder, has emerged as a rather common online offence
committed by juveniles. In 2015, the anti-piracy wing of Kerala police arrested three
youngsters for uploading a copy of a Malayalam movie on the net. Lack of knowledge about
illegality and consequences of indulging in digital piracy, normalization of piracy among
teens, lack of money to procure content legally, and the unchecked environment provided by
the social media platforms to freely share pirated files are some of the reasons that explain the
ubiquitous nature of this cybercrime.
One of the most judicious solutions can be educating the youth about the legal status of the
various crimes mentioned above because unawareness about the consequences of their
untoward acts on social media is one of the prime reasons behind juveniles committing such
crimes blatantly. At this age, parents play an indispensable role in the life of an adolescent.
Parents should not only keep a regular watch on the online activities of their children but also
provide emotional support to help them cope up with the vagaries of teenage. Educational
institutes should strive towards creating a safe environment for adolescents to express
themselves and aid normalization of gender differences and variability in physical
appearances. Curiosity is a characteristic of adolescence but society has to satiate it through
education and encourage the youth to employ it towards self-improvement and to become
better individuals.
 CONCLUSION

It can be rightly concluded that the free flow of ideas and easily accessible content on social
media platforms may instigate juvenile to engage themselves in crimes in the real world. In
addition to this, a number of factors and instances cited above prove that social networking
sites act as platforms for juvenile to commit various illegal acts. This may jeopardize the
future of our youth and put them behind bars at an age when they grow and develop into
valuable assets for our nation. It is the need of the hour that we understand the intolerable
future consequences of exposure to social media content and protect the juvenile from falling
into this dangerous zone.