This book provides an in-depth insight into what is currently known and relatively unknown about youths' online peer engagement. It delivers state-of-the-art current reviews of the literature in the field, with a strong coverage of methodological issues in studying online friendships and an emphasis on moving towards a new, less dichotomic, view of online peer interaction in adolescence. With a focus on what spending time with online-exclusive peers entails - in terms of both potential positive as well as negative consequences for friendship quality, intimacy, and well-being - this book offers a more nuanced commentary on youths' online peer engagement. Including coverage of the evolution of online friendships, cyberbullying, cyberdating, sexting, online abuse, smartphones, social networks, as well as their impact on adolescent social interaction online, Van Zalk and Monks consider implications for future research directions and practical applications. Online Peer Engagement in Adolescence is important reading for undergraduate and master students studying social and developmental psychology, education, relationships and health, as well as advanced researchers and academics working in these fields.

This book provides an in-depth insight into what is currently known and relatively unknown about youths' online peer engagement. It delivers state-of-the-art current reviews of the literature in the field, with a strong coverage of methodological issues in studying online friendships and an emphasis on moving towards a new, less dichotomic, view of online peer interaction in adolescence. With a focus on what spending time with online-exclusive peers entails - in terms of both potential positive as well as negative consequences for friendship quality, intimacy, and well-being - this book offers a more nuanced commentary on youths' online peer engagement. Including coverage of the evolution of online friendships, cyberbullying, cyberdating, sexting, online abuse, smartphones, social networks, as well as their impact on adolescent social interaction online, Van Zalk and Monks consider implications for future research directions and practical applications. Online Peer Engagement in Adolescence is important reading for undergraduate and master students studying social and developmental psychology, education, relationships and health, as well as advanced researchers and academics working in these fields.

In most Western societies today, where boldness and good self- esteem are valued, socially fearful behaviors are viewed as a disadvantage. During adolescence, social participation requires a good deal of self-confidence and social skills, specifically when it comes to acquiring and spending time with friends, getting romantically involved, or having meaningful relationships with parents. Adolescents go through a number of physical and emotional changes that make them highly vulnerable for developing shyness. The effects of shyness on social relationships in adolescence and vice versa have, nonetheless, been relatively understudied. This dissertation provides some insights into the lives of shy early adolescents, showing that both peers and parents may affect shyness in several negative ways. The shy adolescents were also found to be active agents in their own lives, as their social fears were influential in their relationships. On a more positive note, shyness was protective against involvement in problem behavior. Even though certain elements of adolescent shyness can make it unfavorable for the individual, there are also reasons to appreciate its distinctiveness.