An alarming number of early adolescents between the ages of 11 and 14 report experiencing cyber-victimization (i.e., bullying that occurs online or via technology). Although research has demonstrated that spending more time on social media can increase the likelihood of cyber-victimization, less research has examined how adolescents are using social media. For example, the conflicts and problems that can arise from social media use may also increase vulnerability to cyber-victimization. The current study examined this association between problematic social media use and conflict (PSMUC) and cyber-victimization among a sample of early adolescents. Also, guided by the Social Information Processing model, the current study examined the indirect effect of social stress (i.e., feelings of isolation and social exclusion) in the association between PSMUC and cyber-victimization. Adolescents (N = 316) participated during the spring of sixth grade from a large public middle school in the Midwestern United States. Assessments included measures of PSMUC, cyber-victimization, and social stress. Using structural equation modeling, results indicated that PSMUC was associated with higher levels of cyber-victimization via higher levels of social stress. These findings indicate that social stress is an important mechanism to consider in the relationship between PSMUC and cyber-victimization experiences among early adolescents. Implications for prevention and intervention programs, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

数量惊人的 11 至 14 岁的早期青少年报告说他们经历过网络受害（即在线或通过技术发生的欺凌）。尽管研究表明，在社交媒体上花费更多时间会增加网络受害的可能性，但很少有研究探讨如何青少年正在使用社交媒体。例如，社交媒体使用可能引发的冲突和问题也可能增加网络受害的脆弱性。目前的研究在早期青少年样本中检验了有问题的社交媒体使用和冲突 (PSMUC) 与网络受害之间的这种关联。此外，在社会信息处理模型的指导下，本研究考察了社会压力（即孤立感和社会排斥感）在 PSMUC 与网络受害之间的关联中的间接影响。青少年（N = 316）在美国中西部一所大型公立中学的六年级春季参加。评估包括对 PSMUC、网络受害和社会压力的测量。使用结构方程建模，结果表明，PSMUC 通过更高水平的社会压力与更高水平的网络受害相关。这些研究结果表明，社会压力是考虑 PSMUC 与早期青少年网络受害经历之间关系的重要机制。讨论了预防和干预计划的意义以及未来的研究方向。