Examination of the dangerous situations that individuals with mental disabilities may face in the virtual environment in Turkey and their protection skills from these situations through the eyes of parents

This study was conducted in order to learn about the dangerous situations that individuals with mental disabilities (IwMD) may encounter in a virtual environment and their protection skills from these situations from the point of view of their parents. The research was designed using descriptive model from quantitative research methods. The participants of the study are the parents of individuals with mental disabilities. The data collection tool of the research is the question form. The data collection tool was prepared by translating the questionnaire prepared by Ågren, Kjellberg and Hemmingsson (2020) into Turkish and rearranging it under the expert opinions. January-April 2022 research data were collected on the Internet through social media platforms. it has been determined that individuals with mental disabilities use the Internet more for the purposes of watching TV shows/movies, listening to music, playing games, and using social media. Parents think that the internet is fun for IwMD, but their children use the Internet too much in some cases. While 6% (7) of IwMD have been harassed online, 7.8% (9) have been threatened online, and 8.4% (10) have previously tried to be scammed. In the study, parents stated that their children with IwMD do not have the skills to protect themselves in cyberbullying situations