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Cyberspace, the digital environment produced by the Internet and mobile phones, has become a major developmental context for young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ). From 2005, the phenomena of convergence and Web 2.0, enabled more cyber-activity, from more places, more often. The thesis utilised mixed methods to explore cyber-activity, and the challenges it produced. It also examined resilience; focusing on factors associated with successful resolution of distressing challenges. The first phase used eight focus groups (N = 36), as well as literature reviews, to produce a model for understanding cyber-challenge. The second phase deployed a questionnaire, based on aspects of this model, with 1,673 diverse NZ secondary school students. Cyberspace was accessed frequently (at least three or more times a week) by 98.4% of the sample. Participants reported an average of 7.29 (sd = 1.93) categories of cyber-activity annually. Activities classed as “communicating” and “researching” were most common. At least one cyber-challenge was reported by 67.5% of participants, however, only around half of them reported distress associated with a challenge. By volume, cyberbullying was the most distressing challenge reported (17.6%). Although ignoring was the most common management strategy used across six distressing challenges, it was never positively associated with resolution. On average, 38.3% of participants reported use of social support to manage distressing cyber-challenges. Significant age and gender differences highlighted aspects of adolescent development in cyberspace, for example older adolescents were more …