Interacciones de adolescentes de 14 a 17 años con sus pares mediadas por facebook : factores de riesgo y de protección.

Abstract

The present research aims to describe the perceptions of adolescents aged 14 to 17 from two schools in the cantons of Guayaquil and Pastaza (Ecuador) towards the influence of the social network Facebook in their social interactions with their peers in the context of a pandemic in 2021. This research has a quantitative approach and a descriptive level. The survey was used as a technique and the questionnaire as an instrument, which were prepared by the researchers. The survey was conducted through WhatsApp, and also in person. The questionnaire consists of 44 questions and it was applied through Google Forms. It was applied to 200 Facebook users, who are adolescents from 14 to 17 years old, from two educational institutions. At the end of this research, it was concluded that adolescents consider the social network Facebook as one of the applications that supplies communication and physical interactions during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, it was determined that adolescents apply protective factors as a preventive means against risky situations, with parents being their first guide to have high security and privacy in their Facebook profiles. However, adolescents are not aware of terms that refer to crimes of a sexual nature in social networks, which could be considered a risk factor. With these results, socio-educational projects, workshops or awareness campaigns on the proper use, risks and crimes in social networks can be developed.