Youth Cybercrime, Peer Networks, and Digital Deviance in Urban Lagos: A Social Learning Perspective

Abstract

Youth cybercrime has emerged as a significant social and security challenge in urban Nigeria, yet explanations that focus primarily on economic deprivation and technological access often overlook the social processes through which cybercriminal behaviour is learned, normalized, and sustained. This study examines the role of peer networks in shaping youth involvement in cybercrime in urban Lagos from the perspective of Social Learning Theory. The study adopted a qualitative case study design and drew on data from focus group discussions and key informant interviews involving youths and relevant community, educational, and law-enforcement stakeholders in selected urban areas of Lagos State. Thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring patterns in participants’ accounts of peer influence, digital socialization, behavioural modelling, reinforcement, and the normalization of cybercrime. Findings indicate that peer networks constitute important informal learning environments in which young people are introduced to cybercrime techniques, acquire knowledge about fraudulent practices, develop shared vocabularies and identities, and receive social and material reinforcement for deviant behaviour. Participants further identified social media platforms and popular culture as extending these learning processes beyond physical peer groups by exposing young people to conspicuous consumption, successful cybercriminal personas, and narratives that portray fraudulent wealth as legitimate achievement. The study also found that perceived social acceptance, peer recognition, and the demonstration of financial success can reinforce continued participation, while weak condemnation within families and communities reduces the perceived stigma associated with cybercrime. The study concludes that youth cybercrime in urban Lagos should be understood not only as an individual or technological problem but also as a socially learned form of digital deviance embedded in peer relations and wider cultural environments. It recommends preventive interventions centred on positive peer mentorship, digital ethics education, community-based social learning, responsible media representation, and youth-oriented economic opportunities.