When peer norms work? Coherent groups facilitate normative influences on cyber aggression

The effect of aggressive group norms on young adults' conformity behavior in WhatsApp chats: a vignette-based experiment

Social networking and messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, have become an essential social environment for adolescents and young adults (AYA). While facilitating connectivity, they also bear hazards, including cyber-aggression. This study investigates the impact of (aggressive) group norms on AYA's propensity to expect cyberaggressive behaviors within different group chats. Based on a vignette scenario, realistically simulated WhatsApp group chats enabled scrutinizing, if and how exemplary reactions (funny, aggressive, friendly) of group members influence AYA's conformity to cyber-aggression (N = 500, aged 16 to 29). Additionally, we examined the effect of chat group type-close friends versus fellow students-on the anticipation of aggressive reactions. Sociodemographic, social, and developmental-psychological factors were evaluated for potential effects. Multilevel logistic regression analyses indicated that aggressive group norms significantly predict cyber-aggression anticipation, while no effect of chat group type was observed. Controlling for the size and vivacity of participant's friend group, gender, age, and educational status were significant predictors: males, younger participants, and non-university students expected higher levels of cyber-aggression conformity. This study underlines the importance of group dynamics on perceptions of cyber-aggression and hints at individual risk factors for AYA's digital communication behavior.

The Role of Parents and Peers in Cyberbullying Perpetration: Comparison among Arab and Jewish and Youth in Israel

In recent years, several studies have examined the effect of parents and friends on cyberbullying victims. Less is known about their combined effect on cyber perpetrators, especially among Jewish and Arab teens in Israel. We collected data from a representative sample of 350 Jewish and Arab adolescents (aged 15-16) and their parents. We repeated the interviews twice within a year. The survey included measurements of three parental practices: support, monitoring, and protectiveness, as reported by parents at the first time of data collection. We measured the adolescents' engagement in sensation-seeking and cyberbullying as perpetrators and perceptions about peers' involvement in these behaviors. Path-analysis models revealed that the perception of peers' involvement in cyberbullying perpetration was positively linked with involvement in such behavior among Jewish and Arab teens. Contrary to our expectations, no parental practice had a direct effect on cyberbullying perpetration among teens in either ethnic group. The study presents important and unique findings. The results indicate that youngsters involved in cyberbullying are strongly influenced by their peers. The prevalence of this pattern in both the Jewish and the Arab populations indicates its universal nature. On a practical level, it may be suggested that bullying behaviors may be mitigated by taking measures in formal and informal education. Another aspect of the results is the decline in parental influence on adolescents' cyberbullying behaviors, especially among Arab teens. This may be an indicator of cultural changes taking place in the Arab population in Israel alongside widening of the generation gap.

Crowds’ malice behind the screen: The normative influences of online dehumanization on discrimination against foreigners

With the ubiquitous presence of the Internet, comments that dehumanize foreigners are frequently found on social networking platforms. These comments may function as dehumanizing norms and facilitate discrimination against foreigners in the offline world. In the current research, three studies were conducted to explore this possibility. Study 1 was a correlational study that revealed a positive association between dehumanizing norms and discrimination against foreigners. Studies 2 and 3 manipulated dehumanizing norms and found that these norms promoted discrimination against foreigners via increased prejudice toward them. Study 3 further measured perceived online anonymity and revealed that decreasing perceived online anonymity buffered the destructive influences of dehumanizing norms. In conclusion, to our knowledge, the current research represents the first attempt to empirically explore the normative influences of dehumanization on discrimination against foreigners and provides practical implications for comment management on the Internet.

Parent-child Communication, Social Norms, and the Development of Cyber Aggression in Early Adolescence

To understand the development of cyber aggression during adolescence, it is important to consider the temporal variability of its potential predictors. This study uses a four-wave survey to investigate how changes in peer norms, parental norms, and parental communication are associated with two-year trajectories of online peer aggression. The sample includes 1521 Swiss middle school students (M_age T1 = 11.54, SD = 0.40; 48% female). The results showed that over time a better parental communication quality and anti-aggression norms predicted lower rates and slower development of cyber aggression. Moreover, parental variables emerged as a quite stable deterrent of aggressive conduct. Although entrance into adolescence is characterized by the rise of peer influence, results from this study suggest that parents maintain an important protective role.

Me and Others Around: The Roles of Personal and Social Norms in Chinese Adolescent Bystanders' Responses Toward Cyberbullying

Researchers have expanded the aggressor-victim dyad by showing that bystanders play pivotal roles in the process of cyberbullying. Bystanders' responses entail moral engagement and are guided by personal and social norms. Most research on normative influences on bystanders' responses to cyberbullying has focused on personal or social norms but has ignored how they jointly affect bystanders' responses. Inspiring by the modified Theory of Planned Behavior, a cross-sectional study of Chinese high-school students (N = 333) examined how cyberbullying-related personal and social norms affect adolescent bystanders' responses to cyberbullying. We collected information on personal norms, social norms, and bystanders' responses to cyberbullying. Boys reported stronger intentions than girls to reinforce the bully, but intentions to help the victim were equivalent among boys and girls. Regression analysis revealed that pro-cyberbullying personal and social norms combined could negatively predict intentions to help the victim. However, personal and social norms interacted to influence behavioral intentions to reinforce the bully. Specifically, when pro-cyberbullying social norms were at a high level, a higher level of pro-cyberbullying personal norms was correlated with higher intentions to reinforce the bully. Conversely, when pro-cyberbullying social norms were at a low level, the effect of personal norms disappeared. The findings contribute to understanding the process by which adolescents adapt themselves to norms and provide guidance for educational advice on intervening in cyberbullying.