Deviant activity of students in a virtual environment as a risk factor for personal psychological security violations

<p><strong>Context and relevance.</strong> The organization of prevention related to deviant activity in a virtual environment as a risk factor for violating the psychological safety of students of different ages is one of the priorities of the system for the prevention of neglect and juvenile delinquency in the Russian Federation. The focus was on such psychological aspects as deviant activity and its forms in real and virtual environments, online risk analysis, and the main areas of work to prevent the genesis of antisocial orientation and deviant behavior of students. <strong>Objective:</strong> to study the relationship between real and virtual deviant activity in students of different ages. <strong>Hypotheses:</strong> 1. Real and virtual deviant activity among students is interrelated. 2. Online risks (informational, communicative, online entertainment) faced by Internet users negatively affect the psyche and psychological security of the individual. <strong>Methods and materials.</strong> The study involved representatives of educational institutions of the Russian Federation: 487 male and 520 female students aged 11 to 25 years: younger adolescents — 135; middle adolescents — 550; older adolescents — 164 people; boys — 88, early adulthood — 70 people. The study was conducted in 11 cities of the Russian Federation. The empirical data of the study were statistically processed using the rank correlation Ch. Spearman's coefficient . Research methods. The general scale of problematic Internet use (R. Davis, adapted by E. Gubenko and A.B. Kholmogorova); author's questionnaire to identify online risks associated with aggression in the Internet environment; methodology for studying deviant activity in real and virtual environments (A.A. Sharov), questionnaire “Determination of propensity for deviant behavior” (A.N. Orel). Results. The results showed that the real and virtual deviant activity of students are interrelated and are realized within the framework of interaction with the outside world, the former is more pronounced. Conclusions. The prospect and relevance of studying the antisocial orientation and deviant activity of modern youth is related, among other things, to Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, which negatively affects the emotional state and psychological well-being and safety of the population. For many students, the encounter with new realities will be associated with manifestations of socio-psychological maladaptation and an increase in behavioral deviations. Psychologists and other specialists should be prepared for possible negative incidents. In this regard, they are recommended to carry out appropriate preventive measures to maximize the negative effects of restrictions.</p>