What is Parental Mediation of Technology Use

Raised in a digitally connected world, children and adolescents do not remember a time in which new media and technology were not such integral parts or their lives. There are many opportunities afforded by new media and technology, such as the ability to communicate efficiently with just about anyone and having access to an assortment of information at their fingertips. There is a darker side to children's and adolescents' immersion in the digitally connected world. One such consequence is cyberbullying, which has increased over the years, due to children's and adolescents' increasing usage of new media and technology. Further attention has been given to cyberbullying because of high profile cases of victims committing suicide as a consequence of being targeted by these behaviors. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying as well as cultural differences in these behaviors and theoretical underpinnings. Concluding this chapter is recommendations for future research and public policy.