Online gaming and online risk behaviours predict cyberbullying in adolescents

cyberbullying*picture credit

 

As part our special issue “Communication Technology, Media Use and the Health of our Kids“, Fong-Ching Chang and colleagues just published a study on online gaming and online risk taking and how they predict cyberbullying perpetration and victimization in adolescents in Taiwan.

The study used questionnaire data from 2,315 students in Taiwan, when they were in 10th and then in 11th grade. The main aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with the emergence and cessation of youth cyberbullying and victimization.

Here is a summary of the main results:

– Males were more likely to be both cyberbullying perpetrators and victims; females, on the other hand, were more likely to cease cyberbullying perpetration.

– An increase in exposure to violence in the media was associated with the emergence of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization.

– More frequent online plying of games in 10th grade predicted the emergence of cyberbulling perpetration in 11th grade.

– Engaging in online risk behaviours (such as posting pictures online or sharing passwords with friends) predicted both cyberbuylling perpetration and victimization. Similarly, reducing youth internet risk behaviour predicted the cessation of cyberbulling and victimization.

The authors suggest that parental training programs and school education should focus on enhancing youth digital literacy and safety skills to reduce youth internet risk behaviours.

What do you think? What can be done for cyberbullying in young ages in our time when almost all youth in have access to the internet?

 

**this paper was written by Fong-Ching Chang, Chiung-Hui Chiu, Nae-Fang Miao, Ping-Hung Chen, Ching-Mei Lee, Tzu-Fu Huang and Yun-Chieh Pan

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