The digital landscape in Jordan has undergone a profound transformation, marked by a significant surge in internet penetration, which reached an impressive 95.6% by 2024 (DataReportal, 2024). This rapid digitalization, however, has coincided with a notable increase in cybercrime incidents, necessitating the enactment of the contentious Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023. This empirical study endeavors to ascertain the level of awareness among Jordanian university students concerning this pivotal legislation. Our investigation specifically delves into their comprehension of fundamental cybercrime concepts, the nuances of legal provisions, the severity of associated penalties, and the established reporting mechanisms. Employing a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were meticulously gathered from a stratified random sample of 850 students representing 10 diverse public and private universities across Jordan. The findings reveal a moderate overall awareness level, with a mean score of 2.96 (SD = 0.42) on a 5-point Likert scale. While students demonstrated a comparatively robust understanding of general cybercrime concepts (M = 3.52), their grasp of specific legal provisions (M = 3.01), the punitive measures (M = 2.73), and the proper reporting procedures (M = 2.59) proved to be notably inadequate. Furthermore, the study uncovered significant demographic disparities: female students, those in their senior academic years, and individuals pursuing degrees in Law and Information Technology disciplines consistently exhibited markedly higher levels of legal awareness. This research unequivocally underscores the pressing imperative for integrating comprehensive digital legal literacy into higher education curricula, a crucial step toward mitigating cyber-victimization and preventing inadvertent online transgressions among the nation's youth.
Shatha et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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