Entre discours de haine et cyberharcèlement chez un public de 15 à 25 ans : une distinction de fait et de droit, mais une distinction pertinente en criminologie ?

In the context of Web 3.0, the grey area surrounding the definitions of online violence is an obstacle to its proper understanding: online hate, hate speech, and cyberbullying are terms that can be interchangeable. The legal imprecisions and the lack of knowledge of digital platforms and the informal rules that govern them create a mismatch between the measures put in place and the users' experience, more specifically teenagers and young adults. The objective of this study is to meet 15 French-speaking Belgians between the ages of 15 and 25 who had been victims, perpetrators, or bystanders of online hate speech, and who were diverse in terms of ethnic origin, gender, and sexual orientation. The goal aims to learn about their subjective experiences with online hate speech. To do that, we will examine the definitions given by our sample, particularly with cyberbullying as a comparison. These qualitative findings will be discussed according to the self-reported profile of our sample (victim, perpetrator, bystander, multiple profile) and through various theories, including identity bubble reinforcement. The communication will conclude with discussions on developmental issues, especially the concept of psychosocial maturity, as well as questions concerning the defining aspects of these behaviours.