The Impact Of Violent Video Games Use And Moral Disengagement On Adolescents’ Cyberbullying Behaviors

The rapid development of the Internet has changed the human life, especially for teenagers who are curious about new things. When the Internet provide the teenagers with convenience, it also bring them confusion. Owing to the characteristics of the Internet and teenagers’ susceptibility to cyberbullying, cyberbullying grow like a weed among adolescents. As the new research theme of Internet Times, cyberbullying has attracted many attentions of the researchers. Most of the researchers draw their attention to the actual personal and situational factors, and they are also failed to control effect of traditional bullying. So, it is necessary to study the situational factors with the characteristics of the information age after controlling for the effect of traditional bullying.In our study, the sample was made up of 987 junior school students. Violent video games use questionnaire, moral disengagement, traditional bullying and cyberbullying questionnaire were used to investigate the subjects and explore the effects of violent video games and moral disengagement on cyberbullying. The study results are as follows:1. Cyberbullying was obvious among junior school students and the incidence of was 14.4%.2. Cyberbullying behaviors showed significant gender differences and boys were more likely to perpetrate. But there was no significant grade differences on scores of cyberbullying.3. Significantly positive correlations were found between violent video games use, moral disengagement, traditional bullying and cyberbullying.4. Violent video games use had a positive effects on cyberbullying. For the junior school students, the more violent games they played, the more cyberbullying behaviors they perpetrate.5. Violent video games use was positively associated with moral disengagement, the level of moral disengagement was higher when the adolescents play more violent video games.6. Moral disengagement had a positive effect on junior school students’ cyberbullying. The higher level moral disengagement they own, the possibility they perpetrate cyberbullying behaviors was greater.7. Moral disengagement of junior school students had partial mediating effect on the positive relation of violent video games use and cyberbullying.