Examining the relationship between adolescents' social media addiction levels and cyberbullying experiences.
Sibel Kucuk, Dilek Uludasdemir, Seher Ari Unal
PMID 39873200WHAT IT FOUND
23.3% of 1,058 adolescents met the social media addiction cutoff; 66.8% were classified as cyberbullies and 64.7% as victims.
Addiction was linked with more time online, stranger contacts and sharing personal content. This cannot show addiction caused bullying.
Key findings
0123.3% of 1,058 adolescents met the study cutoff for social media addiction, while 66.8% were classified as cyberbullies and 64.7% as cyber victims.
02Adolescents classified as having social media addiction were more likely to be cyberbullies (2.63 times) and cyber victims (2.94 times) than those without addiction.
03Spending three or more hours a day on social media was associated with higher odds of addiction (2.52), cyberbullying (3.45) and victimization (2.04).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a descriptive survey, so it cannot show that social media addiction caused cyberbullying or victimization. All data were self-report scales completed by adolescents in classrooms, and the paper states that results relied on participants' perceptions. Participants were adolescents aged 14 to 17 from five public high schools in a province, so findings may not apply to younger children, other regions, or private schools. The study used a cutoff score of 5 on the addiction scale and study-defined criteria for cyberbullying and victimization, not clinical diagnoses. The paper's wording about odds ratios is internally inconsistent. Some reported associations are hard to interpret.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that social media addiction causes cyberbullying or victimization. The study measured both during the same data collection with self-report scales, so it can only show associations.