Network Structure of Youth Cyber-Risk

We examine how adolescent online behaviours interrelate as a risk-protection network using a school-based survey (N=101). The instrument captures social media use, daily time online, cyberbullying exposure, curiosity/attempts at hacking, exposure to drug-related content, and receipt of formal cybersecurity education. We test pairwise associations with chi-square and Cramer's V, then construct a binary item-association network (phi correlations; edge threshold |φ|≥0.20) to reveal clustered ties. Results indicate that longer time online co-occurs with both cyberbullying exposure and encountering drug-related content (medium effect sizes), while formal cybersecurity education shows a protective pattern against hacking attempts. Perceiving cyberbullying as "very serious" aligns with higher awareness/reporting behaviours and links negatively to the risk cluster. Framing adolescent cyber-risk as a small item-level network adds conceptual clarity beyond isolated pairwise effects and surfaces actionable levers for prevention. We outline curriculum-embedded modules (password hygiene, social-engineering awareness, help-seeking pathways) and parent-teacher programmes to strengthen critical digital competences. An anonymised dataset is available upon request. This study demonstrates how simple survey indicators can be reorganised into a network that informs targeted, scalable interventions in secondary and vocational education.