Examining the Relation Among Internet Addiction, Cyberbullying, and Cyber Victimization in Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Internet addiction and cyberbullying are serious public health issues that are highly prevalent among adolescents. Research addressing the aforementioned concepts has significantly increased in the recent years. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, this paper presents the first systematic review of studies examining the relation among Internet addiction, cyberbullying, and cyber victimization. A literature review was conducted through Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Yöktez. A search of four electronic databases indicated 2515 studies published between 2010 and 2022. The following inclusion criteria were considered for articles: (i) they made an objective assessment of cyberbullying and/or cyberbullying victimization and Internet addiction, (ii) they were conducted on adolescents, (iii) they were articles and theses published between 2010 and 2022, (iv) they were written in Turkish or English, (v) they were published theses or articles published in an academic refereed journal, and (vi) they were empirical studies with primary data. Accordingly, 29 empirical studies were included in the current review, involving 51,311 participants. The results revealed that Internet addiction positively associated with cyberbullying and cyber victimization. In this context, taking the relevant variables together in the research, education and intervention programs to be conducted on these variables will allow more accurate and effective results to be obtained.