This study developed and validated the Adolescents’ Online Risk Behavior Scale (AORBS), a comprehensive instrument designed to assess multifaceted online risks among adolescents. Grounded in qualitative insights from interviews with adolescents, parents, and experts, the AORBS integrates three overarching domains—conduct, content, and contact risks—into a hierarchical structure encompassing six empirically derived factors: cyber aggression, internet addiction, harmful information inducement, consumer inducement, data breaches, and information fraud. Psychometric testing ( N = 1,816 Chinese adolescents) demonstrated robust validity and reliability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a stable six-factor model (Comparative Fit Index = 0.92, Tucker–Lewis Index = 0.91, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.04), with high internal consistency (α = .88–.90 for subscales; α = .90 for the total scale). Convergent and discriminant validity were established through factor loadings (>0.60), average variance extracted (AVE > 0.50), and correlations with online disinhibition ( r = .19–.33, p < .001). Distinctive contributions include capturing emerging digital risks (e.g., data breaches, fraud) and addressing cultural relevance for collectivist contexts. The AORBS provides a validated tool for identifying at-risk adolescents, informing interventions, and advancing research on evolving online threats.
Wang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.