Peer Victimization and Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescents: A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Review

Theoretical and empirical evidence have suggested that peer victimization is associated with adolescent problematic Internet use. However, the relationship between peer victimization and adolescent problematic Internet use remains inconsistently interpreted, with empirical findings showing varying correlations. This meta-analytic review thus aimed to examine the overall association between peer victimization and adolescent problematic Internet use, and to further explore the moderators that influence this association. Following a search of seven databases (Web of Science, PubMed, PsycArticles, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, ERIC, and CNKI) and auxiliary searches, data from 55 studies (N = 249,892 adolescents) yielding 114 effect sizes were synthesized using advanced three-level meta-analytic models in R. The meta-analysis revealed that peer victimization was significantly and positively related to adolescent problematic Internet use (r = .237, p < .001), representing a small effect size. This relationship, however, was moderated by several key factors. Specifically, publication year, data type, and measures of both peer victimization and problematic Internet use emerged as significant moderators, while culture showed a marginally significant moderating effect. In contrast, no significant moderation was found for sex, age, publication status, or the type of problematic Internet use. These results were not affected by publication bias. The findings provide a more comprehensive insight into the link between peer victimization and adolescent problematic Internet use, highlighting that interventions addressing adolescent problematic Internet use should be aware of the potential impact stemming from peer victimization experiences.