Cyber Behaviors and Well-Being in Emerging Adults: Patterns, Determinants, and Gender Differences

Technological advances have reshaped the ways in which young people interact, giving rise to a complex digital landscape with implications for their well-being. Despite the growing body of research on cyber behaviors, their potential for both positive and negative well-being outcomes is not yet fully understood, nor is the role of gender in shaping these relationships. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between online moral disengagement, problematic internet use, online disinhibition, and cyberbullying dimensions and emotional, social, and psychological well-being among 671 emerging adults, as well as to examine the potential moderator role of gender. The results revealed a structural equation model that adequately explained this association for both the overall sample and the male and female subsamples, finding both positive and negative associations between cyber behaviors and well-being. Among females, online moral disengagement and toxic disinhibition showed stronger negative associations with well-being, particularly psychological well-being, whereas mood regulation and benign disinhibition demonstrated stronger positive associations across all well-being dimensions. Among males, well-being was more strongly and positively associated with preference for online social interaction, cognitive preoccupation, and negative outcomes, with the latter exhibiting positive associations in males but negative associations in females. Cyber aggression and cyber victimization were negatively associated with well-being in both genders, with stronger associations observed among males. Compulsive internet use showed weak associations in both groups, with variation in direction and magnitude by gender. However, gender only moderated the relationships between well-being and preference for online social interaction, mood regulation, and cyber aggression, with a more pronounced effect observed in males. These results provide new empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between cyber behaviors and well-being and highlight the relevance of implementing universal digital literacy strategies that address both damaging and adaptive cyber behaviors.