Dr Masa Popovac Poster

Dr Maša Popovac | Ep 13

by Children, Teens and DigiTechExpertPodcasts
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Senior Advisor

Dr. Maša Popovac, an expert in cyberpsychology and developmental psychology. We delved into her extensive research on online safety and cyberbullying, her journey into the field, and her work developing practical interventions to protect young people in digital spaces.

Digital Literacy and Online Safety at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation in Melbourne, Australia.

Main CyberPsychology Expertise:

How to reduce cyberaggression, cyberbullying and online risks and build digital literacy and resilience.

Consultant Expertise:

Cyberbullying in the workplace

Other Specialisations:
  • Online safety training and interventions
  • Use of technology for health and wellbeing
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In this episode, I chat with Maša about: 

The Complexity of Online Aggression:
Maša highlighted the blurred lines between victims, perpetrators, and witnesses in the online space, explaining how individuals can often play multiple roles simultaneously. She emphasised the developmental challenges faced by young people in navigating these dynamics.

Cultural and Global Insights:
Despite differing levels of access to technology, Maša found striking similarities in the prevalence and nature of cyberbullying in South Africa, the UK, and beyond. Common tactics included defamation, exclusion, and harassment, reflecting universal social hierarchies and peer dynamics.

Effective Online Safety Strategies:
Maša underscored the importance of proactive, dialogue-based approaches for parents and educators. Key strategies include setting early boundaries, fostering open conversations about online experiences, and empowering young people to engage responsibly in digital spaces.

Challenges with Policy and Media Narratives:
The discussion also touched on the pitfalls of sensational media coverage, which often fuels moral panic rather than providing balanced, actionable advice. Similarly, knee-jerk policy reactions, like blanket bans on mobile phones in schools, may address symptoms without tackling root causes.

The Future of Cyberpsychology:
Looking ahead, Maša identified emerging areas of interest, including artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and social virtual reality. She stressed the need for dynamic, evolving research and education to keep pace with technological advancements.

Practical Applications:
Currently working in Australia with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Maša focuses on implementing digital literacy and online safety programs in schools. She shared insights on creating meaningful behavioural change through information, motivation, and skills-based interventions.

This episode offers valuable perspectives for parents, educators, and policymakers navigating the challenges of online safety in a rapidly changing digital world. Maša’s emphasis on holistic, evidence-based approaches provides a constructive framework for addressing cyberbullying and fostering digital resilience.

Podcasts
Social Media and Mental Health (19 March 2021)
Click here to listen to the podcast

The podcast interview covers a discussion of how social media affects our mental health and what we can do to enhance our wellbeing in the context of technology use.

Videos
Long-term Effects of Trolling (8 August 2021)

An interview with CGTN’s Stephen Cole discussing the severity of cyberaggression and cyberbullying on mental health and wellbeing and what we need to do about it.

Online and offline aggression and bullying among adolescents in the UK and South Africa (December 2017)

A presentation at the World Anti-Bullying Forum about online and offline aggression and bullying among adolescents in the UK and South Africa

Workplace Technology Research

Note: although these links redirect to the published article, the research can be requested via Research Gate. 

2019

Exploring the role of work identity and work locus of control in information security awareness.

This research explores the adherence to organisational information security and the role of work-related and individual factors such as individuals’ perceived control within the workplace, their commitment to current work identity, and the extent to which they are reconsidering commitment to work.

Click here to access original article

Hadlington, L., Popovac, M., Janicke, H., Yevseyeva, I., & Jones, K. (2019). Exploring the role of work identity and work locus of control in information security awareness. Computers & Security, 81, 41-48.

Other Research Articles
2021

Adults’ perceived severity and likelihood of intervening in Cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is a serious issue among adult samples.

Perceptions of severity and likelihood of intervening in cyberbullying among adults varied based on the type/nature of bullying.

Older adults were more likely to intervene than younger adults.

Click here to access original article

Popovac, M., Gill, A.S., Austin, L. & Maposa, R. (2021). Adults’ perceived severity and likelihood of intervening in Cyberbullying. International Journal of Bullying Prevention.

2021

Measuring online health-seeking: Construction and Initial Validation of a new scale.

Adults engage in online-health seeking behaviour for support, information and as a supplement or alternative to offline medical care.

Individual and contextual factors influenced the nature of online health-seeking among adults.

Click here to access original article

Popovac, M. & Roomaney, R. (2021). Measuring online health-seeking: Construction and Initial Validation of a new scale. British Journal of Health Psychology.

2020

Gaming when things get tough? Examining how emotional regulation and coping self-efficacy influence gaming during difficult life situations.

People can turn to gaming when facing difficult life situations.

They do so as a distraction from life difficulties, to feel a sense of achievement to connect with others, and for in-game connection and stimulation. 

Younger players and those with lower coping self-efficacy were more likely to game during stressful life circumstances.

Click here to access original article

Caro, C. & Popovac, M. (2020). Gaming when things get tough? Examining how emotional regulation and coping self-efficacy influence gaming during difficult life situations. Games and Culture.

2019

Exploring the role of egocentrism and fear of missing out on online risk behaviours among adolescents in South Africa.

Online risk taking among adolescents is influenced by developmental and social factors.

Click here to access original article

Popovac, M. & Hadlington, L. (2019). Exploring the role of egocentrism and fear of missing out on online risk behaviours among adolescents in South Africa. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, Open Access.

Media Articles
COVID-19 and the risk in cyberbullying among young people during lockdown

In this interview by Deutsche Welle, Masa highlights her concerns about the continuation of bullying in person once children return to school, especially if they were bullied during lockdowns. 

Click here to access original article

Or download a PDF of the article.

4 ways to end Cyberbullying - without quitting the internet

Op-Ed piece in ‘Apolitical’

‘Limiting children’s screentime won’t make the problem go away.’

In this article Dr Popovac highlights the prevention and intervention strategies that we should be taking to address cyberbullying. 

‘Working towards a coordinated multi-level approach to online safety that targets children and adolescents, parents and teachers, as well as service providers, organisations, charities and support services is key in ensuring comprehensive and impactful responses to the changing digital environment.’

Click here to access original article

Or download a PDF of the article.

Book Chapters Published
You can buy the book here
You can also buy a copy of the book directly from Amazon.
Book: The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology

(Chapter) The Psychology of Online Lurking.

Popovac, M. & Fullwood, C. (2019)

This chapter covers a number of aspects related to the personal and social determinants of online lurking within the context of health and education. 

Chapter Abstract taken directly from Oxford Handbooks Online Page:

Lurking, or passive online participation, is often defined as non-participation or minimal participation in online groups or communities. Although lurking has previously been considered a negative behavior in online spaces, with lurkers accessing the social capital of online communities without providing anything in return, current perspectives consider lurking as a legitimate form of online participation. Current literature shows that lurking is a more nuanced activity than previously considered, as individuals may not only vary in their participation across different online groups but their participation may also vary over time within an online group. This chapter examines the key personal and situational factors associated with active or passive participation, as well as the differential outcomes linked to levels of engagement in online groups generally, followed by a more detailed exploration of lurking in the context of online support groups and education.

You can buy the book here

An intervention developed for young people in schools to enhance online safety.

Reducing Cyberbullying in Schools

(Chapter) An Intervention using the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model

Popovac, M. & Fine, P. (2017)

An Intervention using the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model: Tackling Cyberaggression and Cyberbullying in South African Adolescents. In Campbell, M. & Bauman, S. Reducing Cyberbullying in Schools: International Evidence-Based Best Practices. Elsevier: USA

Chapter Abstract taken directly from the Psycnet Page:

‘This chapter describes an intervention that focuses on addressing cyberaggression, including cyberbullying. Cyberaggression, a broader term encompassing a range of different experiences including cyberbullying, harassment, and stalking that occur online, is defined as “intentional harm delivered by the use of electronic means to a person or a group of people irrespective of their age who perceive(s) such acts as offensive, derogatory, harmful or unwanted”. Experiences of cyberbullying are forms of cyberaggression, but only cyberbullying shows intentionality, imbalance of power, and repetition. These distinctions in definitions are important for accurately measuring the behaviors in research contexts, but have little bearing for those experiencing these behaviors or those aiming to address them. Thus, this intervention considers both cyberaggression and cyberbullying’

You can access the PDF here.
Beyond the School Gates:

Popovac, M. (2017)

Beyond the School Gates: Experiences of Cyberaggression and Cyberbullying among Adolescents in the UK. Technical Report by the University of Buckingham and Sir John Cass’s Foundation.

This chapter discusses the online risks among UK adolescents and parental perceptions of risk

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Other Experts
The Anxious Generation Page Header

The Anxious Generation – Jonathan Haidt

by Book ReviewsChildren, Teens and DigiTech

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist.

This is different from a CyberPsychologist, in that social psychology takes a broader view of issues (including digital technology) that may or may not affect a collective group of similar people within an environment or context.

A CyberPsychologist will focus more on the individual level of how a person (who has specific traits that are similar to traits others have) interacts with and is impacted by various types of digital technology. 

There are likely to be a number of CyberPsychologists who will disagree with a lot of the concepts, propositions and conclusions within this book. I would suggest that this is partly because the worldview and direction of study differs quite substantially, but also partly because he has not focussed on Digital Technology as his primary psychology speciality.

For those who do disagree with his approach to, and misreading of, the data the suggestion is that he is cherry picking research that fits his theories while ignoring research that contradicts it. Correlation does not imply causation.

Being a relatively new research area, there are many nuances, subtleties and new findings in CyberPsychology that a social scientist may not take into account when diving into these topics. 

I don’t agree with everything he lays out in this book. He seems to veer off the main topic on several occasions, creating a few tenuous links back to his topic or argument. Additionally, some of his explanations are based on his very specific worldview that does not necessarily link back to other research. It seems a one-sided argument, that does not consider or weigh up other contradictory evidence.

However, he does present a number of compelling arguments and data to the reader that showcases a correlation between the launch of smartphones / social media and the increase in mental health conditions amongst teens in the last few decades. 

  • He talks through how the role ‘helicopter parenting’ has delayed the development of a sense of independence amongst teens and how the fear of real-world dangers has played into parents giving their children smartphones at a younger and younger age. 
  • He includes how Big Tech exploits very specific developmental stages and present the case of how different online elements affect teenage girls and teenage boys differently. 
  • He finishes by providing a number of suggested solutions for parents, schools and institutions and how we may be able to reverse the social trends we are witnessing amongst younger children.

Although the book is written for a USA audience, and based a mostly on data and research from the US, the theories and solutions he presents are still mostly relevant for other English speaking Western audiences.

Whether you agree or disagree with Mr Haidt on the issues and solutions he presents in his book, it is still worth a read. But, like any argument, it is always worth balancing it with those who have an alternative perspective on the same issues around how Big Tech, smartphones and social media may be influencing us and our teens.

We still have so much to learn about the longer-term impact of Digital Technology on human behaviour and psychology, especially amongst children, but we also know more than we did a decade ago. 

You can read a review in favour of his book in The Atlantic here, and a critique of his theories, research and book in The Daily Beast here.

Below are a few interviews Jonathan Haidt has conducted explaining more about the theories, concepts and solutions he presents throughout his book.

You can find out more about his book The Anxious Generation here.

About Jonathan Haidt:

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist and the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

He is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis, The Righteous Mind and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind.

Book Review Related Articles
Ruth Guest

Ruth Guest (Sersha) | Ep 1

by Children, Teens and DigiTechExpertPodcasts

Exploring CyberPsychology with Ruth Guest: Founder of Sersha

In this episode, we delve into the intersection of technology and psychology with Ruth Guest, a cyberpsychologist and the founder of Sersha, an innovative platform aimed at educating preteens and their families about social media safety.

Ruth’s Journey into CyberPsychology

  • Ruth shares her evolution from a career in photography and marketing to becoming a CyberPsychologist. Her passion for technology and human interaction sparked during her childhood fascination with early internet platforms like MSN, Bebo, and MySpace.
  • A pivotal moment was her decision to pursue a master’s degree in CyberPsychology, which she completed during the pandemic. This academic foundation was instrumental in launching Sersha.

The Birth of Sersha

  • Sersha is a platform designed to teach preteens how to navigate social media safely through a simulated social media experience. The goal is not only to educate children but also to foster meaningful conversations within families about online safety.
  • Ruth emphasizes the unique design of Sersha: being engaging for kids, intuitive for parents, and aimed at bridging the knowledge gap between generations.

Addressing Real Concerns for Families

  • Common worries among parents include cyberbullying, stranger interactions, exposure to inappropriate content, and excessive screen time. Sersha offers an interactive, educational solution tailored to these issues.
  • Ruth’s innovative approach incorporates real-world elements like notifications and conversation prompts to encourage family discussions about digital behaviour.

The Future of Technology and Cyber Psychology

  • We touch on the rapid pace of technological evolution, including the rise of virtual reality, wearable tech, and tools like the Apple Vision Pro.
  • Ruth emphasizes the importance of staying proactive, informed, and educated both as individuals and families, to keep updated on the digital landscape.

Sersha is Revolutionary – being:

  • Parent-Friendly: Sersha helps parents understand platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and more without feeling overwhelmed by jargon or technicalities.
  • Child-Centred: The gamified learning experience ensures preteens are engaged while acquiring essential online safety skills.
  • Family Focused: Sersha strengthens communication and trust between parents and children by providing conversation starters.

Ruth’s recommended reading:

Contact Ruth:

Connect on LinkedIn:

Linkedin

Get Involved with Sersha

Ruth invites parents of preteens (ages 8–13) to test Sersha’s platform and provide valuable feedback. This is an exciting opportunity to shape a tool designed to enhance digital literacy and family connections.

Parents: Test Sersha’s BETA Game with your 8-13 year old here or scan the QR Code.

Go to Sersha’s website

Closing Thought

Ruth’s passion for empowering families and educating children about online safety is a testament to the potential of CyberPsychology in shaping a safer, more connected digital world. Join her mission by exploring Sersha and actively participating in the evolving tech landscape.

What the acronyms mean:
  • IADT: Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Dublin, Ireland)
  • MVP: Minimum Viable Product
  • TAM: Technology Acceptance Model (the older we are, the less likely we are to accept technology)
  • CMC: Computer-mediated communication (how we communicate online)
Podcast Transcript

(Transcript generated directly from podcast audio using TurboScribe, and not manually corrected for transcribing errors).

Hi, my name is Carolyn Freeman. I’m a cyberpsychologist and today we’re chatting to Ruth Guest, who is also a cyberpsychologist and is founder of Socia. Welcome, Ruth, to our session.

Hi, Carolyn. Thank you so much for having me. It’s always such a pleasure to see you.

It’s a delight and a joy.

Other podcasts
241. DigiTech at School

Technology, education and pre-teen years

by Children, Teens and DigiTech

I seem to be having a number of discussions with parents (particularly mothers) about the quantity and type of technology that is being used within schools for the purposes of education.

Screentime and homework
The biggest concern, especially for parents of children in younger age groups, has been children only being able to access homework via their smartphones. The parent’s concern is mostly around the issue of limiting their child’s screen time – not being able to do so if they need it for their homework. 
 
Parent’s who have raised this concern with me have expressed the fear that they may be the only parent who has this concern, and they don’t have enough agency to make any change against the school their child attends. 
 
For these parents, I ask them if there are other parents who feel the same and, if there are, to go together to raise their concerns with the school. We often think we are the only ones who feel a certain way and do not want to speak up in case we are a lone voice in a crowd. But, it is often that others feel the same as we do, but are also concerned they are the only ones to be so. 
 
Focus and distraction
From a neuro-cyberpsychology perspective I have a lot of concern for the level of technology / screen based use in the education of young people. Using constantly shifting information and media reduces the brains capacity for ‘deep’ information processing – resulting in rapid attention shifting/decreased ability to sustain attention and reduced ability to deliberate. It reduces the ability to pay attention and focus while increasing distractibility. The brain is still growing at super-speed at this age – and is still building those key neural pathways for overall (although are still neuroplastic in adulthood) brain structure and sets the groundwork for adult behaviour and capabilities. 
 
Children of this age should not have the kind of exposure they do to screens and content that they do. It is a parent’s prerogative as to how much screen exposure a child gets, but schools and teachers should minimise engagement in online content and should not be giving them homework that can only be/is mostly accessed via a screen.
 
Left-behind or left out?
I often hear the argument that they will be ‘left behind’ their peers if they do not engage in digital technology. But this is not true. Just look at how little exposure the big tech CEO’s (the very people who develop the hard and software used) give their children to digital technology. 
 
What is of greater relevance is the notion of children being teased or ostracised by peer-groups because they don’t have the same access as others in the group.
Post-apocalyptic 'educational' content
The second concern is some the type of content that children are exposed to, as part of their education. A concerned mum recently asked me to review a hyper-realistic animation video her 10 year old son had to watch as part of the English curriculum. The is video part of The Literacy Shed materials available for educational use – and can be viewed here. 
 
Having been disturbed by the video her son had to watch, the mum found other  parents who were equally  concerned about the content. 
 
I suspect that not all parents would like their pre-teen children to be exposed to action-based or violent content – whether animated, AI generated, real or CGI. Even if the content is used for ‘educational purposes’. Surely there is plenty of alternative content that can be used to achieve exactly the same educational purposes that is not of an intense or violent nature or has triggering potential?
De-sensitisation and information processing
I’m guessing a child would need to watch the video a number of times in order to be able to answer the questions. Some psychologists refer to repeated exposure to disturbing/extreme content as ‘fear conditioning’ and studies show that constant exposure to this type of  content can lead to desensitisation to violence, decrease in empathy and suppression of effective information processing. Although the studies were done on older video-gamers, it seems a little ironic to me that children are expected to process information to answer specific questions after repeated watching of post-apocalyptic/violent material that may reduce their ability to process information. 
 
Pre-teens and peer acceptance
Around the double-digit-age mark, children start separating their self-identity-base from the family, creating bonds with peers and are beginning to feel pressure to conform. They are hyper-sensitive to criticism and resist the possibility of being viewed as an outsider. So if a child feels uncomfortable with this type of content, they are unlikely to admit as much to teaches and peers – especially if their peers are playing/watching a lot of violent video games (which a surprising number are at this age). 
 
Developmental pace and emotional safeguarding
Every child is different and develops at a different pace to others – so what will trigger or soothe them differs accordingly. One 9 year old viewing the content as being ‘cool’ is no indication that all children at a similar age will feel just as ‘cool’ about it.
 
The context of the video watching plays a role in how children feel. For some children watching a potentially ’scary’ movie or content could feel safe when they are with a trusted adult/parent – where they know they are physically, emotionally and psychologically protected and safe-guarded.
 
Watching the same content on their own, in front of peers or within a school environment will have a different impact – as they will not feel that same level of safeguarding that comes from those they trust to protect them. 
 
Social developmental and online risk
From a developmental perspective, this is the age range that children are most vulnerable to the internet and online harms/risks. This is when they are starting to learn the differences between right and wrong, good and bad, justice and injustice. They are not ‘little adult’s’. They are psychologically incapable of making as much sense of the world as grown-ups are.
 
As every child mentally develops at different rates, so what is ok for one, will be very much not ok for another. Boys are also more vulnerable and less resilient than girls at age 9/10 y.o. – so it is interesting that the content in the video is focussed on more male-based characteristics of fighting, defending and conquering. 
 
Personality and hyper-sensitivity
From a personality perspective, some people are a lot more hyper-sensitive than others and more vulnerable when exposed to external stimuli. They feel more deeply and have a stronger brain mirroring network – which means that they are highly socially and emotionally intelligent and are more likely to internally experience similar emotions, feelings and actions of others (virtual or in-person) they are watching or engaging with.
 
Exposure to this type of content for a highly-sensitive 9-10 year old would, therefore, be experienced at a much deeper level than for others of the same age. 
Do phones belong in schools?

This is a highly sensitive and polarising topic. Mobile phones have been banned in schools in France, Italy and Portugal. In October 2023 the UK government announced that ‘Mobile phone use to be banned during the school day, including at break time’, in an attempt to tackle online bullying, decrease distractions and increase attention and focus. 

A recent Guardian article reports on some of the benefits of reducing hyper-connectivity in the school environment and the resulting increase in attention and face-to-face connectivity. It show-cases a Massachusetts (USA) school that has introduced a Light Phone with minimal functionality, that results in less time spent on screens, fewer distractions and more meaningful interactions in and out of classes.  

A Rutgers University–New Brunswick study found that mobile use during educational sessions can reduce overall test scores. 

‘The study found that having a device didn’t lower students’ scores in comprehension tests within lectures but did lower their scores in the end-of-term exam by at least 5 percent, or half a grade. This finding shows for the first time that the main effect of divided attention in the classroom is on long-term retention.

In addition, when the use of electronic devices was allowed in class, performance was also poorer for students who did not use devices as well as for those who did’.

What is the 'digital technology use in schools' solution?

That is not an easy question to answer.

We are still in the middle of a digital technology social experiment – on-boarding all available technology and finding out the longer-term (positive and negative) consequences as we go along. Sometimes after investing a lot of money and social capital into the said technology. 

It will take us a few decades to really understand the human and social consequences of our digital technology use in the education system. But, it does seem that teachers and parents needs to take a more cautionary approach to what and how much digital integration is included.

Maybe we need to revert to a greater degree of ‘non-digital education’. It worked for many generations, and still has that capacity to be a highly effective form of learning. 

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