Differences in Friendship Networks and Experiences of Cyberbullying Among Korean and Australian Adolescents

Cyberbullying is one of the unintended consequences of online social interaction. In the digital age, adolescents engage in online social interaction beyond the traditional physical boundaries of families, neighbourhoods and schools. This study concerns how young people negotiate their social interaction and how it is related to their experiences of bullying and cyberbullying. Based on a comparative face-to-face survey of adolescents (12 to 15 year-olds) in Korea (N=520) and Australia (N=401), this study examines how young people in the two countries experience and perceive of their friendship networks and experiences of cyberbullying. We test how online and offline connections to friendship networks are related to various cyberbullying experiences as victims and perpetrators. Results reveal cultural differences in the impact of friendship networks on bullying and cyberbullying. In general, online and offline networks are more effective at predicting bullying and cyberbullying experiences in Korea than in Australia. In particular, the number of friends in cliques was positively related to victimisation in both online and face-to-face settings.