Developmental Effects of Screen Time on Gender Diverse Student’s Experiences of Bullying Victimization

ABSTRACT We used a large state-wide sample of adolescent students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades (N = 58,689) to examine the predictive value of screen time on bullying victimization, as well as its interaction with age by gender, including transgender and gender nonconforming identities. Participants were majority boys/men (52.3%), heterosexual (88.1%), and White (73.7%). Findings generally supported previous literature related to cisgender differences, but highlighted differences for transgender and gender nonconforming youth. While screen time and technology use, as well as development and maturation, appear to be important predictors of bullying victimization for cisgender students identifying as boys/men and girls/women, they did not predict bullying victimization for transgender or gender nonconforming youth. Results suggest we cannot assume previous bullying research on binary cisgender students will generalize to transgender and gender nonconforming youth. Practical implications for advancing bullying and victimization research with gender diverse students are outlined.