Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: In England, one in five children are victims of cyberbullying, with most cyberbullying incidents happening during school time and from a known peer (Office for National Statistics, 2020). Therefore, further research is needed to understand this issue and consider how Educational Psychologists can support families and educational settings. The review paper synthesised the findings of 15 studies to examine the associations between parental internet mediation approaches and cyberbullying victimisation. Findings reveal that mediation approaches involving supervision, guidance, monitoring and child-led strategies were associated with lower levels of cyberbullying victimisation but only supervision and active mediation had a small effect. Thus, specific mediation approaches may have a protective factor against cyberbullying but need to be considered within the family’s cultural context. The empirical study builds on the review paper’s findings by exploring young children’s views on cyberbullying and considering their preferences in how parents can prevent and intervene. The mixed-methods design involved quantitative and qualitative phases, 75 children participated in an online questionnaire and six children’s participated interviews. The findings reveal that children are most concerned about online threats and personal information being lost, which marries with their concerns of cyberbullying escalating to in-person violence. Children valued parental internet mediation strategies as a protective and supportive approach to cyberbullying and they preferred their parents to provide guidance and supervision on their internet use at least weekly. Strengths and limitations indicate directions for future research, and practical implications are discussed for Educational Psychologists and school settings.
Author: Mulhall, Rebecca
Institution: University College London
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7019564378