Adolescents Perceived Parenting And Smartphone Addiction As Predictors Of Cyberbullying

Abstract

The study investigated Adolescents perceived parenting and smart phone addiction as predictors of cyber bullying. A recent study found that 26.5% of adolescents had perpetrated cyber bullying (Kim, 2023). Positive parenting plays an important role in the development of children's psychological and behavioural control, parent–child communication, and encourages moderation in the use of smart phones by adolescents (Kim, 2023; Lee, &  Mun, 2022). A total of 306 male participants comprising 155 females and 151 males drawn from the population frame of Adolescent Students of Day Secondary Independence Layout (N = 108, 35%); Army Day Secondary School Awkunanaw (N = 102, 33%) and Uwani Secondary School (N = 98, 31%). The age ranges of the participants were between 13years and 17years while M = 15.31 and SD = .99. Mixed sampling technique (systematic, purposive, simple random) was used to select the participants. A 24-item Korean Parents as Social Context Questionnaire (PSCQ); Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and The Cyber bullying in Social Media Scale (CSMS) English Version were used as instruments in the study.  Correlation design was adopted while Hierarchical Multiple Regression and Moderated Multiple Regression were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that perceived parenting (Warmth, Structure, Autonomy Support, Rejection, Chaos, Coercion) were entered. Warmth (β = -.24, t = -6.37, at P < .01); Structure (β = -.37, t = -9.84, at P < .01) Rejection (β = .38, t = 4.17, at P < .01); Chaos (β = .20, t = 2.42, at P < .05) and Coercion (β = .20, t = 4.35, at P < .01)  dimensions of perceived parenting predicted cyber bullying while Autonomy Support (β = -.06, t = -1.37, at P >  .05) did not predict cyber bullying. Also, the result revealed that Smartphone is a significant predictor of cyber bullying (β = .30, t = 6.52, at P < .01). From the results it was clear that both perceived parenting styles and smart phone addition are implicated in cyber bullying among adolescents.