Abstract
The aim of this work is to analyze the relationship between parental control and cyber-victimization in adolescence, considering the possible mediating effect of impulsivity, and high-risk internet behavior. To that end we analyzed the responses of 3360 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 (M = 14.02; SD = 1.40), from Asturias (Spain), to four previously validated questionnaires in order to measure the level of parental control over the use of the internet (restriction and supervision), along with high-risk internet behaviors, impulsivity, and cyber-victimization in the adolescents. The results show that parental control tends to have a protective effect on the likelihood of the children being victims of cyber-aggression, with impulsivity, and high-risk internet behaviors as mediating variables. More specifically, parental restriction and supervision are positively related to each other; both forms of parental control are negatively related with the adolescent’s engaging in high-risk internet behaviors; supervision is negatively related with impulsivity; impulsivity is positively related with high-risk internet behaviors; and both impulsivity and high-risk internet behaviors are positively related to being a victim of cyber-aggression. The practical implications of these results are discussed.
Highlights
The mobile phone and the internet can be very positive tools for adolescents’ development, allowing them to keep in touch with family and friends, and offering many learning opportunities
The results show that parental control tends to have a protective effect on the likelihood of the children being victims of cyber-aggression, with impulsivity, and high-risk internet behaviors as mediating variables
Parental restriction and supervision are positively related to each other; both forms of parental control are negatively related with the adolescent’s engaging in high-risk internet behaviors; supervision is negatively related with impulsivity; impulsivity is positively related with high-risk internet behaviors; and both impulsivity and high-risk internet behaviors are positively related to being a victim of cyber-aggression
Summary
The mobile phone and the internet can be very positive tools for adolescents’ development, allowing them to keep in touch with family and friends, and offering many learning opportunities. They can be very dangerous if they are used to cause harm. Cyber-victimization refers to being a victim of those aggressions (Álvarez-García et al, 2018b) At this moment in time, there is great social concern about this problem, because of its prevalence, and effects. Cyber-victimization can have serious consequences for the victim, especially in severe cases It has mainly been associated with an increase in internalizing problems, such
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