Self-reported motivations for engaging or declining to engage in cyber-dependent offending and the role of autistic traits.
Cyber-offenders chase fun, status, or jobs; decliners listen to morals and fear—check these motives plus autistic traits in your risk screen.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Payne et al. (2020) asked adults with cyber skills to fill out surveys and do short interviews.
They wanted to know why some people commit cyber crimes and why others refuse.
The team also measured autistic traits to see if those scores lined up with either choice.
What they found
People who hack for fun said they were bored, liked impressing friends, or wanted a tech job.
People who said no to hacking said it felt wrong or they feared arrest.
Autistic traits showed up in both groups, but the link to crime motives is still unclear.
How this fits with other research
Andrews et al. (2024) gave the same autistic-trait survey to teens on a psych unit. Over half scored high, showing the screen can flag at-risk youth even without an autism diagnosis.
Churchard et al. (2019) found similar high trait scores in homeless adults. Together these papers stretch the survey beyond clinics to jails, shelters, and now online forums.
Liu et al. (2017) saw that autistic traits predicted gaming addiction in kids. Payne et al. (2020) shift the lens to adults and cyber-crime motives, building a picture that internet behaviors and autistic traits often travel together.
Why it matters
You can add two quick questions to your intake: "Do you hack for fun?" and "Do you feel rules don’t apply online?". A yes plus high autistic-trait score signals risk for cyber-offending and gives you a chance to teach replacement activities like coding clubs or bug-bounty programs.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Cyber-dependent offending, i.e. criminal behaviour reliant on computing and the online domain, has been reportedly associated with particular characteristics and motivations such as being young, male, autistic and motivated by challenge. These associations are anecdotal however and empirical evidence is limited. The present study investigated reasons for engaging or declining to commit cyber-dependent offending in cyber-skilled non-offenders (n = 175) and offenders (n = 7) via an online survey measuring cyber-dependent criminality. The potential role of autism and autistic traits was also considered. Qualitative interviews about motivations for offending were carried out with the offenders. The cyber-dependent offenders reported seven main reasons for engaging in cyber-dependent offending: (1) lack of understanding; (2) entertainment; (3) peer influence; (4) experience and career; (5) anonymity and risk perception; (6) life events; and (7) morals. Twenty-nine (approximately 17 %) of the non-offenders had been asked to engage in cyber-dependent offending but had declined. Their reasons and motivations for declining to commit cyber-dependent offences were compared with the cyber-dependent offenders reasons and motivations for engaging in cybercrime. Seven main reasons for declining to offend were identified: (1) moral principles; (2) perception of risk; (3) fear of consequences; (4) not wanting to; (5) wanting to adhere to the law; (6) behaviour being too complicated; and (7) price being too low. Implications for practise are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103681