Relationship between the consumption of PEGI18 video games with explicit violence, bullying, and cyberbullying

Rial Boubeta, AntonioFernández Theotónio, ÁlvaroNeira de Paz, AlejandroBraña Tobío, TeresaVarela Mallou, Jesús2025-11-282025-11-282024-03-28Rial-Boubeta, A., Theotonio, Á., Neira-de Paz, A., Braña-Tobío, T., & Varela-Mallou, J. (2024). Relationship between the consumption of PEGI18 video games with explicit violence, bullying, and cyberbullying. Psychology, Society & Education, 16(1), 10-19. https://doi.org/10.21071/psye.v16i1.16718https://hdl.handle.net/10347/44059Bullying is one of the most common victimizing experiences in childhood and adolescence, with important emotional correlates. The scientific literature has shown that exposure to violent content is associated with a greater predisposition to perpetrate and/or be a victim of bullying or cyberbullying. Different studies have highlighted the importance that the consumption of certain types of video games (with explicit violent content) can have at this level. The present study aimed to analyze the relationship between the consumption of violent video games (labeled as PEGI18) and the rates of bullying and cyberbullying. An exploratory study was carried out, accessing 15 educational centers and a total sample of 2,083 primary and secondary school students (10-17 years old). A self administered questionnaire was used which included the European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire and the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire, along with items related to video games use. The results show the existence of a statistically significant relationship between the consumption of violent video games, bullying, and cyberbullying, especially at early ages. These findings highlight the need for a more effective regulation, which ensures an adjustment between the video games consumed and the age of the userEl acoso escolar conforma una de las experiencias victimizantes más comunes en la infancia y la adolescencia. La literatura científica ha evidenciado que la exposición a contenidos violentos se asocia a una mayor predisposición a la hora de perpetrar y/o ser víctima de acoso o de ciberacoso. En este sentido, diferentes estudios han destacado la importancia que el consumo de determinado tipo de videojuegos puede tener a este nivel. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo analizar la relación entre el consumo de videojuegos PEGI18 con contenidos de violencia explícita y las tasas de bullying y cyberbullying. Se llevó a cabo un estudio de carácter exploratorio, accediendo a una muestra total de 2,083 estudiantes de primaria y secundaria con edades comprendidas entre los 10 y los 17 años. Se empleó un cuestionario autoadministrado que incluía el European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire y el European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire, junto a ítems relativos al consumo de videojuegos. Los resultados permiten constatar la existencia de una relación estadísticamente significativa entre el consumo de videojuegos violentos, el bullying y el cyberbullying, especialmente a edades tempranas. Los hallazgos remarcan la necesidad de una regulación más eficaz, que asegure un ajuste entre los videojuegos consumidos y la edad del usuarioengAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/PEGIBullyingCyberbullyingViolenceVideo gamesAdolescentsViolenciaVideojuegosAdolescentesRelationship between the consumption of PEGI18 video games with explicit violence, bullying, and cyberbullyingjournal article10.21071/pse.v16i1.167181989-709Xopen access