The role of bullying perpetration and victimization in adolescents' perceptions of school climate and social media usage

Previous research has reported a relationship between adolescents' perceptions of school climate and social media use. However, the underlying mechanisms associated with the relationship have yet to be fully explored. This study aimed to examine the role of peer bullying in the relationship under consideration. This cross-sectional study applied a correlational research model to examine the perceptions of 718 adolescents aged 11-14. Data gathering entailed the School Climate Survey, Peer Bullying Self-Report Form, and the Social Media Disorder Scale. Significant relationships between school climate, social media addiction, and peer bullying emerged from the gathered data. The study also found that peer bullying partially mediated the relationship between school climate and social media usage, both in terms of perpetrating bullying behavior and experiencing victimization. Specifically, 22.43% of the total effect of school climate on social media addiction was mediated through exposure to bullying perpetration, while 25.10% was mediated through experiencing victimization. A notable finding of this study is the role played by a perceived negative school climate in terms of increasing social media addiction; additionally, this increase may be partially mediated by exposure to peer bullying. A discussion of the results in light of the relevant literature is included, along with suggestions for future study. Students' perceptions of school climate are associated with their social media usage habits. Negative perceptions of school climate are correlated with both the perpetuation of bullying and the experience of being a victim. Preventive and supportive services could provide interventions that decrease peer bullying and improve the school climate to minimize the potential risk of developing social media addiction.