Speaker
Description
INTRODUCTION
Digital literacy is a potential factor influencing cyberbullying, though it is mostly studied at the individual level. While stronger digital skills can help students manage online risks and recognize harmful behaviour, reducing their risk of becoming cyber victims, increased online access and frequent use may raise the likelihood of cyberbullying. This study aims to explore the relationship between national-level digital skills in adults and cyberbullying involvement among adolescents.
METHODS
The analysis used nationally representative data from the Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) study across 27 EU member countries. Data collection was conducted in 2021/2022 among school-aged children aged 11-15, following the international protocol of the HBSC study. The overall sample size was N=152,693. We applied multilevel binary logistic regression models to assess the association between country-level indicators of basic digital skills and cyberbullying perpetration/victimization.
RESULTS
In addition to age and gender, national-level data on basic digital skills showed an association with cyberbullying involvement. Being male, older, and living in a country with higher basic digital skills was associated with a lower likelihood of cyber victimization. Conversely, being female, 11 years old (compared to 15), and living in a country with higher basic digital skills appeared to protect against cyberbullying perpetration.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that improving digital skills on a national level could help reduce both cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Further research is needed to investigate the role of other macro-level factors (such as GDP) and the impact of different aspects of digital skills.
Keywords
digital literacy, basic digital skills, multilevel
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
|---|---|
| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Quantitative method study |
