Testing a first online intervention to reduce conformity to cyber aggression in messaging apps

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Media Studies
• Adolescent Development

Background:

• Early adolescents heavily use mobile messaging apps for peer communication.
• This usage correlates with increased conformity to cyber aggression, including nasty comments and social exclusion.
• Peer group norms and reduced accountability are key drivers of this conformity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To counteract peer group norms and reduced accountability as determinants of conformity to cyber aggression.
• To develop and test intervention conditions addressing information, motivation, and behavioral skills in adolescents.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in reducing cyber aggression conformity.

Main Methods:

• A 2x2 factorial design tested interventions against peer group norms and reduced accountability.
• Four conditions were created: peer group norms, reduced accountability, combination, and control.
• Effectiveness was assessed using a messaging app paradigm and self-report in 377 early adolescents.

Main Results:

• None of the intervention conditions significantly reduced conformity to cyber aggression.
• Individual differences in peer pressure susceptibility or inhibitory control did not moderate the intervention effects.
• No evidence was found to support the intervention's effectiveness in reducing cyber aggression conformity.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the complexity of translating intervention theory into practice for cyber aggression.
• Current intervention efforts did not effectively reduce adolescents' conformity to cyber aggression.
• Future research should focus on developing novel intervention tools to combat online aggression in adolescents.