A qualitative analysis of empathy and awareness of digital violence among high school students

This study investigates the perceptions of digital violence, empathy levels, and coping strategies among Generation Z adolescents, specifically within a high-achieving academic context. Adopting a qualitative case study design, data were collected from 20 students attending a Science High School in Turkey, utilizing the “vignette technique” based on real-life scenarios and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal a significant gender divide in digital experiences: while female students exhibit high “affective empathy” and prioritize social support mechanisms (e.g., sharing with family), male students tend to display “indifference” or “anger,” favoring technical or retaliatory solutions (e.g., blocking, confronting). These results suggest that generic prevention strategies are insufficient. The study concludes that interventions targeting high school students must be gender-sensitive --focusing on emotional regulation for males and technical empowerment for females– and validates the vignette technique as an effective tool for uncovering latent attitudes in digital well-being research.