Cyberpsychology Research Group

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Cyberpsychology Research Group

A team of researchers at USYD exploring the impact of consumer technology on human behaviour.

The Cyberpsychology Research Group (CRG) at The University of Sydney was established in 2017 as Australia’s first formal research team to investigate the impact of consumer technologies (such as smartphones, video games, social networking, wearable technology, VR and AI) on human behaviour. CRG members teach in a range of undergraduate and postgraduate units and supervise Honours, Masters and PhD level students.

08/12/2025

A heartfelt congratulations to the most recent graduand from the Cyberpsychology Research Group, Dr Emma van der Schyff! 👩🏻‍🎓 Supervised by CRG members Professor Andrew Campbell, Dr Rowena Forsyth, and Dr Krestina Amon, Emma’s thesis, “Videogaming and Social Capital: Investigating Online Relationships and Friendships in Digital Communities”, examined how videogames can strengthen social capital and support mental health in online communities. Rather than focusing solely on the risks of technology, her research demonstrates its potential to enhance collaboration, cultural engagement, mental health, and social connection when used thoughtfully. Her achievements highlight the importance of exploring how online communication platforms can foster meaningful and healthy engagement across society.

Passionate about bridging behavioural science and innovation to design inclusive, evidence-based interventions that promote mental health in digital spaces, Emma is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Acquired Brain Injury Communication Lab

Congratulations, Emma! We look forward to future collaborations and celebrating all your upcoming achievements!

11/11/2025

Congratulations to CRG Leadership member Dr. Rowena Forsyth for recently being awarded the Sydney Early-Mid Career Academic Network (SEMCAN) Good Mentor Award.

The Award is a competitive, University-wide scheme that recognises and rewards outstanding mentors. Over 180 nominations were received and following a 3 stage review process, Rowena was 1 of 10 individuals who received the award.

Rowena was nominated by her recently completed PhD. student, Emma van der Schyff.

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

25/07/2025

The CRG proudly spotlighted emerging voices at last week through a series of engaging student poster presentations.

PhD candidate Jacob Szloch contributed Scammed to Damned: Scoping Review of Secondary Victimisation and Institutional Attitudes Towards Online Scam Victims, exploring how victims of online scams face systemic challenges and the need for more empathetic institutional support.

PhD candidate Stephanie Habak shared her work on Scam Compliance and Grooming: A Taxonomy of Early Warning Signs, a timely investigation into the psychological patterns that precede online exploitation.

CRG alumnus Dr. Matthew Naylor presented his poster on the Exploration of Virtual Reality Environments as an Evidence-Based Stress Reduction Activity in the Workplace Setting, offering insights into how immersive tech can support employee wellbeing.

It’s inspiring to see the next generation of cyberpsychologists shaping the field with curiosity, rigour, and purpose. The future looks bright!

23/07/2025

A memorable week at last week, with the Cyberpsychology Research Group presenting their work throughout the program.

CRG leadership members Dr. Rowena Forsyth and Dr. Krestina Amon presented as a duo on their project: Professional-personal boundary negotiation and access to professional networks in health professionals’ use of online communities, unpacking the balance of professional identity and interaction in online spaces.

Assoc. Prof. Brad Ridout brought compelling data from IDCARE’s Cyberpsychology Support Centre in his talk Cybercrime Victimisation and Mental Health, highlighting the emotional toll of digital threats and how support structures can help.

Recent PhD graduate, Dr. Emma van der Schyff, explored Videogaming and Social Capital, revealing the power of gaming communities to cultivate real-world connection and social support.

We were also lucky to have Professor Alex Pessoa return to Sydney from the Federal University of São Carlos to present two of his works. His first presentation, Non-Consensual Disclosure of Intimate Images in Adolescence, unpacked the resilience, agency, and healing processes of survivors—highlighting both the complexity of harm and the power of recovery. His second talk, Addressing Online Violence Against Adolescents, explored a feasibility study aimed at equipping parents and professionals to better protect young people in digital spaces, showing a snippet of a video resource being used in the study, featuring our own !

21/07/2025

The CRG made its mark at last week! From chairing multiple sessions to presenting their work, the team had a strong presence throughout the program.

Special shoutout to the CRG Chair - - not only a conference convenor but also an outstanding emcee who did a fantastic job keeping the event vibrant, engaging, and seamlessly on track!

The CRG is proud to be a group shaping the future of cyberpsychology!

30/06/2025

Very important panel discussions were held today at the "Children & Screens" event organised by AFRAN (Australian French Association for Research and Innovation Incorporated).

Topics of the risks and benefits of children using technological devices (Panel 1), AI and digital tools in education (Panel 2), and the regulation on children's access to screens and media (Panel 3) were covered from a range of national and international researchers, educators, police force, and the voice of the youth.

Panel 1 was chaired by CRG lead

04/04/2025

📢 New publication alert!

2024 Honours graduate Sonia Tint was supervised by Dr. Melissa Brunner and CRG lead member and has recently published her first paper from her Honours project 👏🏼

The study explored how Instagram is used by people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and how TBI is discussed on the platform. Using a mixed-methods research design, content analysis was conducted on the top 100 posts, identifying four categories: Promotional, Motivational, Educational, and Life Experiences. Further analysis of selected posts revealed themes of Sharing their Stories, Navigating Challenge, Anticipating More, and Building Community. The study concluded that Instagram helps people with TBI connect and share experiences, while organisations and health professionals use it to provide information and promote services. However, health professionals are under-utilising Instagram for promoting social interactions and advocacy. The overall sentiment in the community was supportive and positive, suggesting that integrating Instagram into TBI rehabilitation could help reduce social isolation.

Tint, S., Amon, K. L., & Brunner, M. (2025). Healing is a community: an exploratory study of content on Instagram. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2025.2480166

28/03/2025

CRG leadership members & returned earlier this week from their recent trip to New Caledonia to collect data for Phase 2 of the APY-Project led by .caillaud

During this trip, they also presented their work at the final FALAH Conference with other international delegates from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu & New Caledonia.

18/02/2025

📢 New publication alert!

A great start to 2025 with a new paper by CRG lead members and , led by Associate Professor Louisa Peralta alongside collaborations with colleagues in the South Pacific.

From a project, led by .caillaud, the aim of this study was to explore adolescents’ health literacy knowledge and capabilities regarding food and nutrition, climate change and digital technology solutions, in Vanuatu. Findings from the study show that students in rural and urban schools in Vanuatu were less likely to engage in critical, compared with functional and interactive health literacy levels. This is an important consideration for future study workshops, as well as curriculum and teacher training in Vanuatu, as Vanuatu (and other PICTs) are more susceptible to the effects of climate change and food sustainability issues. Without a focus on developing critical health literacy knowledge and capabilities throughout the schooling years, this is a missed opportunity to create enabling environments that reduce youth exposures to NCD risk factors.

Peralta, L.R. et al. (2025) Health literacy of adolescents’ responses to a workshop focusing on food, nutrition, climate change and digital technology solutions in Oceania: a multi-site pilot study in Vanuatu. BMC Public Health 25, 648 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21865-7

18/12/2024

CRG members are award winners at this year's Conference in Arizona, USA 👏🏼

won the Young Minds Research Award for best student presentation

won the Lifetime Achievement Award recognised for his contributions to the field

We are looking forward to the CYPSY28 Conference, which will be held in Sydney, Australia, in 2025! Look out for details!

16/12/2024

CRG PhD student was a guest on Confessions of a CybePsychologist with Carolyn Freeman last month

In this episode, they chat about her research focus for her PhD on social connectedness and online communities in video games. They talk also about screentime, excessive gaming by adults, and mislabelling gaming behaviour as addiction.

Swipe to see a short clip, and go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmqirLAeCCk to watch the full podcast!

11/12/2024

CRG projects were presented at this year's 27th Annual Cyberpsychology, Cybertherapy and Social Networking Conference in Arizona, USA.

Keep an eye out for details for held in Sydney, Australia 🎉

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THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Sydney, NSW

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https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/our-research/research-centres/cyberpsychology-research-group.html

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