Search

Background: The introduction of new technological media worldwide has had a number of unfortunate side effects for some adolescents, including cases of bullying others through the new media (cyberbullying) and over-involvement to the point of addiction. We examine the epidemiology of cyberbullying in a Greek setting, compare it with earlier data, determine the impact of any related psychosocial factors, and propose measures to combat the phenomenon. Methods: A cross-sectional study of the entire adolescent high-school student population of the island of Kos examined the relationship between their experiences of Internet cyberbullying and respective parental characteristics, including aspects of psychological bonding and online security measures. The sample consisted of 2017 students (51.8% boys, 48.2% girls). Comparisons are made with results obtained from an earlier survey in the same setting, 2 years earlier. Results: There was a significant rise in reported experiences of Internet cyberbullying over the 2-year period. Security practices exercised by parents had a protective role with regards to whether a child had been cyberbullied, yet failed to prevent the perpetration of online victimization. A regression model indicated that impulsive use of the Internet and related online activities were predictive of whether an adolescent victimized others online. Conclusion: Cyberbullying frequency with regards to both victims and victimizers was high and associated with online impulsiveness, pointing to the possible existence of some commonalities. Further research is necessary to ascertain common underlying psychological factors and neurobiology. (Contains 5 tables.)

We present results from a cross-sectional study of the entire adolescent student population aged 12-18 of the island of Kos and their parents, on Internet abuse, parental bonding and parental online security practices. We also compared the level of over involvement with personal computers of the adolescents to the respective estimates of their parents. Our results indicate that Internet addiction is increased in this population where no preventive attempts were made to combat the phenomenon from the initial survey, 2 years ago. This increase is parallel to an increase in Internet availability. The best predictor variables for Internet and computer addiction were parental bonding variables and not parental security practices. Parents tend to underestimate the level of computer involvement when compared to their own children estimates. Parental safety measures on Internet browsing have only a small preventive role and cannot protect adolescents from Internet addiction. The three online activities most associated with Internet addiction were watching online pornography, online gambling and online gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the phenomenon of internet addiction and concurrent social (off-line) behaviours of an adolescent population a cross-sectional survey of the entire adolescent student population (N = 1270, aged 14-18) of the island of Kos in Greece was conducted. Method: Completion by the survey participants of a demographic questionnaire, the 8-question YDQ (Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction) and the 20-question IAT (Internet Addiction Test), followed by comparative analysis between and within usage groups. Results: Results demonstrate that 7.2% of male and 5.1% of female internet users present addictive behaviours while using the internet. Conclusions: Anti-social, aggressive behaviours were significantly correlated with an increase to the pattern of abusive internet use in both sexes. Boys and girls had distinct profiles of off-line and online preferences. Boys tended to favour interest-driven online activities as their levels of addictive behaviour increased while girls favoured communication-driven online activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]