Engl. transl.: THE RISKY USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: INTERNET ADDICTION AND CYBERBULLYING

The study aimed to investigate the risky use of new technology among elementary school students and, more particularly, the frequency of internet addiction and cyberbullying in relation to the students' gender and academic achievement. Four hundred and fifty-two elementary school students of the 6th grade (242 boys, 210 girls) participated in the study—all students attended public schools in the civic area of Thessaloniki and Athens. The students filled in a self-report questionnaire regarding the pathological use of the internet (Internet Addiction Test, Young, 1998) and their participation in incidents of cyberbullying (based on the Cyberbullying Questionnaire, Smith, Mahdavi, Carvalho, & Tippett, 2006). The results showed that the students are involved in both of these situations, which are positively related to each other, however they are not related with students' academic achievement. Regarding gender, it was found that the pathological use of the internet is significantly higher among boys than girls. The results of the present study are a first step towards more relevant research on students of this particular age as well as towards the implementation of preventive programs in elementary schools aiming to the safe use of internet.

The results showed that the students are involved in both of these situations, which are positively related to each other, however they are not related with students' academic achievement. Regarding gender, it was found that the pathological use of the internet is significantly higher among boys than girls.