Cyberthreats Facing High School Students and Methods of Addressing them

Abstract

In this work, we provide an overview of the most common risks and threats related to information technology faced by high school students in Saudi Arabia. In this context, this work starts from the concept that using information technology is the basis of contemporary life once it has penetrated and become part of our daily activities, which also makes us challenged by the threats and risks that result from these technologies. Thus, we have written and applied a questionnaire to groups of high school students in all provinces of Saudi Arabia. The study sample of high school students who participated and completed the questionnaire was 2,312, divided into 1,128 male and 1,184 female students. In addition, these students were randomly selected from all 13 administrative regions in KSA. Specifically, we have examined the risks and threats of secondary school students using information technology, along with methods for securing their use of it in terms of awareness, envisioning, and response. Our results indicate a necessity to raise the awareness level regarding information security and the risks that come along with the use of technology through school guidance and counseling programs. Finally, we suggest that holding informational meetings and strengthening the partnership between the school and the family can be an effective way of mitigating the risks directly caused by the unsupervised use of information technology.