The Role of Self-Control in College Student’s Perceived Risk and Fear of Online Victimization

College student use of the internet for online social networking purposes is increasing in popularity. Facebook is a social networking website used by college students, with estimates of over 7.5 million users spanning over 2,000 colleges and universities. Unfortunately, Facebook users can encounter some detrimental consequences, including fear of victimization. The purpose of the present study is to examine the correlates and structure of potential fear from using Facebook. Using self-report data from 224 college students at a southeastern university during the spring 2007 semester, we examine the link that low self-control has with perceived risk and with fear of online victimization among Facebook users. The results of the present study are discussed in the context of policy implications.