The moderating role of social media motives in the relationship between screen usage and cybervictimization

Screen time is on the rise among youth, and as a result, cyberbullying victimization has become increasingly prevalent. While prior research has established a positive correlation between screen usage and cyberbullying victimization, a paucity of research has explored how motives for screen usage are associated with cyberbullying victimization and moderate the positive association between screen usage and cyberbullying victimization.

The present study sought to address these research gaps by exploring the association between motives for screen usage and cyberbullying victimization and examining whether these motives moderate the association between screen time and cyberbullying.

Data from 332 participants (mean age = 16.27 years; 25 % male) were collected in a longitudinal study. Participants were required to be aged 12-18, proficient in English, not currently in treatment for psychological issues, and own a smartphone.

Participants installed a mobile sensing app to measure their screen usage over a four-week period objectively. Motives for screen usage were assessed using an adapted version of the Internet Motive Questionnaire for Adolescents. Cyberbullying experiences were self-reported during a follow-up assessment.

Coping (p < 0.01), conformity (p < 0.001), and enhancement motives (p < 0.05) were positively associated with cyberbullying victimization. Conformity motives moderated the relationship between screen time and victimization, with the association being strongest among youth with low conformity motives (p < 0.01).

These findings indicate that risky motives for screen usage are associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing cyberbullying victimization and that they moderate the association of screen time with cyberbullying.