2026, Vol. 5, No. 2. - go to content...

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Orlov V.A., Peredelsky A.A. Social risks of online consumption by Russian youth. Journal of Social Policy, Population Preservation and Reproductivity. 2026; 5(2). Available at: https://spnjournal.ru/PDF/04SPN226.pdf (in Russian).

Social risks of online consumption by Russian youth

Orlov Vladimir Alexandrovich

Peredelsky Alexey Anatolyevich
Russian State Social University, Moscow, Russia
E-mail: PeredelskiiAA@rgsu.net

Abstract. The social contradiction lies in the discrepancy between the dynamically increasing role of online consumption by young people and the increasing social risks accompanying this consumption (impulsive spending, misinformation and theft of personal data).

The scientific problem of the study is caused by the need to identify and systematize the social risks of online consumption of young people and the factors influencing them in the context of uncertainty in the methodology of their study.

The relevance of the study is due to several reasons.

The rapid growth of engagement in the digital environment.

Young people’s subjective perception of themselves as quite vulnerable to social risks.

Lack of knowledge in the field under study due to the fact that the online environment is developing too dynamically, which leads to the emergence of new social risks both at the micro level and at the societal level.

The aim of the work is to study the structural and behavioral characteristics of the social risks of online youth consumption.

Organization and research methods: analysis of theoretical and methodological sources, online survey, in-depth interview.

Conclusions. The objective prevalence of risks and their subjective perception by young people do not coincide. Frequent risks are underestimated, while rare ones cause excessive anxiety. The most critical risk is not the most frightening or the most frequent, but a risk balanced in probability and severity.

The perception of risks is internally contradictory, and this contradiction is persistent. At the same time, young people recognize the threats and do not change their practices, they are worried and fatalistically accept the situation. The digital environment is experienced as a dual one: a source of both opportunities and dangers.

The digital behavior of young people is not based on eliminating risks, but on adapting to them. External environmental stimuli influence decisions more strongly than internal motives. Defensive practices are unevenly developed: basic reflexes are formed, complex self-control skills are not.

Keywords: Russian youth; online consumption; social risks; digital environment; protective practices; digital behavior; risk perception

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