Investigation of the effect of digital screen addiction on peer bullying in preschool children

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of screen addiction seen in preschool children on peer bullying by considering different variables and to evaluate these two variables according to factors such as gender, parents' education level, and number of siblings. The research covers 230 children aged between 48-72 months living in Alanya district of Antalya. Participants were determined using convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form", "Problematic Media Use Scale Parent Long Form (PMKÖ-EF)" and "Preschool Peer Bullying Scale-Teacher Form". The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, simple and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) methods. In the study, no statistically significant relationship was found between screen addiction and peer bullying. It was determined that gender did not make a significant difference on screen addiction and peer bullying, and that peer bullying differed according to the mother's education level, but there was no difference according to the father's education level. Additionally, it has been revealed that the mother's education level, the child's age and gender are important factors affecting bullying behavior. The findings highlight the importance of education and social policies and provide suggestions for future studies. Key Words: Preschool Education, Screen Addiction, Peer Bullying.