Examining the Relationships between High School Students' Peer Relationships, Cyberbullying Status and Intentions to Use Social Networks via Smartphone

Abstract

The aim of this study to investigate the link between cyberbullying, peer relationships, and social media usage in high school students in Turkey. The population of the study consists of students enrolled in high schools in Turkey in the 2023-2024 academic year. The sample consists of 230 students, 120 females and 110 males, who are studying in 2 different secondary education institutions determined through convenience sampling. The data were analyzed with Pearson correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, Independent Groups t Test and ANOVA using IBM SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0. The results of the study showed that high school students' social media use and peer relationships are directly related to cyberbullying. It was found that the perception of cyberbullying decreased as the purposes of social media use, especially factors such as social interaction and communication, recognition and recognition increased. The results indicated a direct relationship between social media use and cyberbullying; as social media use increased, the perception of cyberbullying decreased. Differences were observed in gender and grade level, with females scoring lower and 9th graders more exposed. It was also determined that the use of social media for educational purposes decreased cyberbullying. In line with the results, various recommendations were presented to students, school administrators, policy makers and families.