Content area
Full text
Internet use has become omnipresent in the lives of youth today, forming an essential part of their lifestyle. Practically all youth between the ages of 12 and 17 use the Internet, averaging about 17 hours per week online, with some spending more than 40 hours per week online (Kowalski et al. 2014). While this increased use of the Internet has enhanced and enriched their daily lives, it has also opened the doors for a wide range of potentially negative outcomes, especially regarding online communication (Holfeld & Grabe 2012). With its 24/7 accessibility, lack of face-to-face contact and relative permanence, communicating online has led to a new form of bullying in young people known as cyberbullying (Kowalski, Limber, and Agatston 2012).
While cyberbullying may be considered a newer phenomenon, aggressive behavior in adolescents is familiar to researchers as evident by existing studies of bullying perpetration and victimization (Hunter, Boyle, and Warden 2007; Olweus 1993; Smith, del Barrio, and Tokunaga, 2012). As more young people rely heavily on the use of mobile phones and computers for online communication, a new avenue is produced for youth engagement in aggressive online behaviors through texts, instant messaging, blogs and social media networks, among others (Kowalski & Limber 2007). Previous scholarship has found that 10-33% ofyouth between 11 and 19 years have been victims of cyberbullying, while more than 15% of youth have been perpetrators of some type of online aggressive behavior (Hinduja & Patchin 2012). Related studies have identified several risk factors associated with cyberbullying perpetration, including high frequency of Internet use and risky online behaviors (Kowalski et al. 2014), aggressive offline behaviors (e.g., Ang, Tan, and Mansor 2011) delinquency (Hinduja and Patchin 2007, 2008), and impulsivity/low self-control (Unnever and Cornell 2003; Vazsonyi et al. 2012).
Previous work has shown that low self-control (LSC) is salient for both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization (Unnever and Cornell 2003; Vazsonyi et al. 2012). This is not surprising given that LSC has also been a strong predictor of traditional bullying (Haynie et al. 2001; Simons-Morton et al. 1999; Vazsonyi et al. 2012) and other forms of deviant or delinquent behaviors among adolescents (e.g., Finkenauer, Engels, and Baumeister 2005; Hay 2001; Pratt and Cullen 2000; Rebellon, Straus, and Medeiros 2008; Vazsonyi, Cleveland, and Wiebe 2006;...