Cyber Communication Threats among Higher Secondary Students: An Empirical Study of Mobile Calls and SMS

The increasing use of mobile communication technologies among adolescents has led to the emergence of various cyber communication threats. The present study investigates the extent of such threats among higher secondary students, focusing on mobile phone calls, Short Message Service (SMS), and call recording misuse. A descriptive survey method was employed, and data were collected from 300 students using a Cyber Threat Inventory. The collected data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, including t-test, to determine the significance of differences in the levels of various cyber threats and correlation analysis to examine the relationship among different dimensions of cyber communication threats. The findings indicate that mobile call-related threats (M = 2.85, SD = 0.65) and SMS-based threats (M = 2.60, SD = 0.70) occur at a moderate level, whereas call recording misuse (M = 2.10, SD = 0.55) is comparatively low. The findings revealed that mobile call-related threats are significantly higher than the average level, indicating strong exposure among students. SMS-based threats were found to be moderately significant, suggesting a noticeable level of risk. Although call recording misuse was comparatively lower, it still showed statistical significance, indicating its presence among students. The correlation analysis reveals a moderate positive relationship between mobile call threats and SMS threats (r = 0.58), indicating that students exposed to one form of cyber communication threat are more likely to experience the other. The results highlight the growing exposure of students to communication-based cyber risks and emphasize the need for structured cyber safety education. The study provides implications for educators and policymakers to promote responsible digital communication practices among adolescents.

Cyber communication threats, mobile phone misuse, SMS threats, call recording misuse

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