Computer Use and Internet Bullying among US Adolescents: Gender and Grade Differences

The purposes of the current study were to examine gender and grade differences in computer use and Internet bullying, and the relationship between computer use and Internet bullying.

Data were obtained from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) 2005 Survey, a nationally-representative sample of grades 6 to 10 (N = 7222) in the United States. Multinomial logistic regressions were used for gender and grade differences in computer use. Logistic regression analyses were used for involvement in Internet bullying and victimization, with gender, grade and computer use as predictors.

Results showed that adolescents who spent 2 or more hours per day on computer use were more likely to bully others and to be bullied by others using computers. Females spent more time using computer, but were less likely to use computers to bully others. There was no gender difference in Internet victimization. Computer use increased with grade, but older adolescents were less likely to engage in either Internet bullying or victimization.

Time spent on computer use plays an important role on involvement in Internet bullying and victimization among adolescents.