Welcome to the Deakin University CyberPsychology Research Group

Our Work: Keeping young people safe online

Cyberpsychology is the interaction between human behaviour and the emerging field of digital technology. The Cyberpsychology Research Group at Deakin University was established in 2014. We focus specifically on online violence, addressing issues such as cyberbullying and sexting behaviours. With expertise across different domains, including sexual violence, mental health and body image, our aim is to advance research in this field, and contribute to the evidence-base around keeping young people safe online.

We actively engage in partnerships and evaluation projects in this area to help educate organisations, such as governments, schools, community and police services, as well as parents and guardians and young people themselves. It is our aim to create and use evidence-based information to inform best outcomes in young people.

Projects

Specific research projects include:

Systematic review: Key members of our team (Dr Klettke, Dr Hallford) published the first systematic review of sexting in 2014, identifying associated behaviours and related issues.

In 2018-9, we were commissioned by the Geelong Cats to review their Cyber Cats cyberbullying prevention program, updating the evidence base and conducting and evaluation.

We have also developed an online parent module for Cyber Cats to help parents actively keep their young people safe.

About Us

Our team is led by Dr Bianca Klettke, an international expert in cyberpsychology.

Other team members include Dr David Hallford, and PhD candidates Ms Elizabeth Clancy and Ms Dominika Howard. International partners include Dr Angela Crossman (New York, USA) and Dr Megan Maas (Michigan, USA).

We also partner with other researchers within Australia and internationally, including Prof John Toumbourou (Deakin University), Evita March (Federation University) and Dr Rachel Grieve (University of Tasmania.