Moral and ethical dilemmas online

In the book Disconnected: Youth, new media, and the ethics gap, researcher Carrie James explored the moral dilemmas that youth face in using digital and networked technologies. Using findings from the Good Play Project (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.at Harvard University, James points to the distinct qualities of networked technologies that can lead to moral dilemmas, including:

• Participatory

• Text-based and asynchronous

• Opportunities for anonymity

• Arm’s length

• Persistence, replicability, searchability

• Public/boundless

• “Always on”

• Capacity to multi-task

• Partial attention

In a study conducted by The Good Play Project, researchers examined how young people think about their online lives, make choices online, and respond to moral and ethical dilemmas they face in digital environments. During interviews with young people ages 10-25 as well as parents and teachers, the researchers posed hypothetical moral dilemmas that involved digital and networked technologies.

The responses from young people interviewed uncovered three types of thinking when faced with online moral and ethical dilemmas:

• Ethical thinking. The young person was able to think more in abstract terms and consider how a wider community or public might be affected.

• Moral thinking. They considered other's feelings. They thought about people they knew and how their actions might impact them.

• Consequence thinking. The young person was mainly focused on the rewards or the risks to the self.

Similar to Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, the first two stages align with consequence thinking. The third and fourth stages align with moral thinking, and the fifth and sixth stages align with ethical thinking.

In Disconnected, James highlights the “ethical thinking dispositions” that influence a young person’s decision to engage or not engage in moral or ethical thinking online, such as:

• Sensitivity. An alertness to the moral or ethical dimensions of the situation is needed to engage in moral and ethical thinking. However, teens might see the rules of conduct different in online contexts. For example, they may accept certain behavior while playing multiplayer video games. James refers to this as blind spots.

• Motivation. Teens are alert to moral and ethical dimensions, but often lack the motivation to engage in moral thinking online. Fear of standing out too much, may stop them from taking action. James calls this lack of motivation online disconnects.

• Agency. In some cases, teens are compelled to take action when they see something troubling online. However, the anonymity and boundlessness of the Internet makes it difficult for teens to do anything as they do not feel a sense of agency.

Young people are often bombarded with messaging about online safety from parents and teachers. Partnering with Common Sense Media, findings from the Good Play Project helped inform the Digital Literacy and Citizenship Classroom Curriculum. While online safety is of importance, the curriculum’s focus is to help youth develop a greater focus on moral or ethical thinking online.