The risks of mastering the Internet space for students and schoolchildren in the context of digitalization of modern society

The study examines the risks of mastering the Internet space for secondary and higher education students in the context of digitalization of modern society. The widespread use of the Internet by schoolchildren and students provides additional challenges and threats that affect not only the educational sphere, but also the whole society, state institution and individuals. In these conditions, the objective of the research is to provide a substantive description of the risks associated with the development of the Internet space for students and schoolchildren, which will allow to create a system of measures aimed at mitigating the risks related to the development of the Internet space by secondary and higher education students. The paper presents a brief overview of conceptual views that reveal the issue of typology of risks of the Internet environment. The aim of the study is to identify the risks of mastering the Internet space for schoolchildren and students. The empirical base was the materials of a questionnaire survey of students of schools and a university (Orenburg State Pedagogical University) in Orenburg, which was conducted in 2023–2024. Depending on the time interval of Internet use, the following groups of respondents were identified: «active users», «moderate users», «users with a low activity index». Based on literary data, the author identified risk groups for mastering the Internet space in order to rank threats to students and schoolchildren. The study revealed the difference in the assessment of challenges by students in higher and secondary schools. The highest risks for schoolchildren were risks associated with interaction in the Internet space (cyberbullying, cyberstalking). For students, such risks were challenges associated with prohibited content. Differences between students in higher and secondary schools are also traced at the level of risks associated with theft of personal data. The author considered the risks of mastering the Internet space on the part of schoolchildren and students in the context of threats at the state level, at the level of society and an individual. The results of the study indicate the importance and necessity of monitoring the activity of students in the Internet space. In conclusion, the author notes that reducing the risks of mastering the Internet space for schoolchildren and students requires an integrated approach to the digitalization of society and the educational system. This study contributes to the development of measures to mitigate the risks of developing the Internet space in the educational space of schools and universities in order to improve the computer literacy of schoolchildren and students. The scientific relevance of the work is to identify gaps in safe behavior on the Internet among schoolchildren and students in order to neutralize the risks of developing the Internet space.