Mapping Digital Adolescence: Assessing online activities and responses to cyberbullying with the Online Behavior Questionnaire

The Online Behavior Questionnaire (OBQ) was developed as a brief, multidimensional instrument to assess adolescents’ digital behaviors that are directly relevant to bullying prevention: general online activities, exposure to harmful content, parental online involvement, and bystanders’ feelings and behaviors in response to ecologically valid cyberbullying scenarios. Two adolescent samples (total N = 617) were used to establish the OBQ’s structure and psychometric properties: a panel sample of 13-17-year-olds (Study 1; N = 308) and a twin-based sample of 17-19-year-olds (Study 2; N = 309). Confirmatory factor analyses in both samples, estimated in R (lavaan) with cluster-robust standard errors for the nested twin data and residual correlations for parallel items, supported a replicated six-factor model with adequate global fit indices and predominantly moderate-to-strong item loadings. Internal consistency was acceptable for most factors (α = .67–.89), with weaker reliability for offensive bystander emotions when indexed by McDonald’s ω. Parental online behaviors showed positive associations with sympathetic emotions and defending intentions, and small negative or negligible associations with general online activity and exposure to harmful content. The OBQ appears suitable for research, school screening, and program evaluation that seek to identify at-risk digital profiles, activate supportive bystanders, and inform policies and interventions aimed at creating safer online climates for adolescents.