cyberbullying essay conclusion

• How It Works
• Topic Generator
• United States
• View all categories

Structuring Your Cyberbullying Essay: Tips and Examples

Cyberbullying has become a serious and pervasive issue in our increasingly connected world. With the power to harm and humiliate individuals from a distance, this modern form of bullying can leave lasting scars. That is why it is so important to know your enemy to avoid possible negative aspects. Here's what you need to know about the complexities of cyberbullying, its various forms, and its impact on individuals and society. With this information, you can easily write your cyber bullying essay.

Understanding Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying uses digital communication tools, such as social media , email, and instant messaging, to purposely harass, threaten, or intimidate another individual. It is a prevalent issue in today's digital age, affecting people of all ages, especially children and teenagers.

Definition and Forms of Cyberbullying

There are different types of cyberbullying, each with its unique characteristics. Some common forms include:

• Flaming involves engaging in heated online arguments, often using vulgar or offensive language, intending to humiliate or upset the target.
• Harassment: The persistent and repeated sending of offensive or hurtful messages to a target, causing emotional distress.
• Cyberstalking: This entails tracking, monitoring, or gathering information about a person without their consent, often coupled with threats or intimidating behavior.
• Denigration involves spreading false or damaging information about a person online, tarnishing their reputation or relationships.
• Exclusion: Deliberately isolating someone from an online group or discussion, making them feel left out or ostracized.
• Outing: Publicly sharing private or sensitive information about someone without their consent, often with malicious intent.
• Impersonation: Assuming someone's identity online to post or send messages that cause harm or damage their reputation.
• Trickery: Tricking someone into revealing private or sensitive information and then sharing it publicly or using it against them.

Understanding these various forms and recognizing their impact on individuals is essential to create a comprehensive cyber bullying essay. By acknowledging the severity of the problem, humanity can work towards prevention and support for those affected.

Impact of Cyberbullying on Victims

The effects of cyberbullying on victims can be significant and long-lasting. Emotional consequences may include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts. Victims may also experience physical symptoms such as sleep disturbances, headaches, and stomachaches. Moreover, cyberbullying can impact academic performance, social relationships, and overall quality of life.

Laws and Policies Related to Cyberbullying

In the United States, laws and policies addressing cyberbullying vary by state. While no federal law specifically targets cyberbullying, some states have enacted legislation to combat the issue. These laws often require schools to develop and implement policies that address cyberbullying. Additionally, some forms of cyberbullying may fall under existing laws related to harassment, stalking, or defamation.

Structuring Your Cyberbullying Essay

When crafting a cyberbullying essay, you should follow a clear structure that effectively communicates your ideas and arguments is essential. A well-organized essay ensures a logical flow and enables your reader to understand the issue better. So let's explore tips and examples to help you create a compelling and insightful essay on cyberbullying.

Choose a Specific Aspect of Cyberbullying to Focus On

When writing your essay , consider focusing on a particular form of cyberbullying or a specific aspect of the issue, such as its impact on mental health, legal responses, or prevention strategies. This fact will help narrow your topic and provide a more in-depth analysis.

Develop a Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement should convey your position on the topic and set the stage for the rest of your essay. Be concise and ensure your statement is arguable, so you can effectively support it with evidence throughout your essay.

Create an Outline for Your Essay

Organize your thoughts and ideas by creating an outline to structure your cyberbullying essay. It will help you maintain a logical flow and cover all relevant points. An outline typically includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Use a Clear and Concise Writing Style

To effectively communicate your ideas, write clearly and concisely. This aspect will help your reader follow your argument and understand your perspective. Avoid jargon and complex language, and ensure your essay is well-organized and easy to read. Check these samples to understand your writing goals.

• Cyber-Bullying: A Growing Threat in the Digital Age
• Cyber-Bullying Among College Students
• How Social Media Can Lead to Addiction, Cyberbullying and Low Self-Esteem
• Cyberbullying Prevention
• A Situation Online Where I Witnessed Online Trolling and Flaming
• Sexting and Cyberbullying for Children Victims
• Community Perceptions of the Relationships Between Cyber Bullying and Youth Suicide
• Cyber Bullying as Ethical Issue
• The Lasting Effects of Cyber Bullying
• Cause and Effect of Cyber Bullying

Writing Your Essay

Introduction.

Begin your essay with a captivating hook to draw in your reader. Provide background information to set the context of the issue and introduce your thesis statement, clearly outlining your stance on the topic .

Body Paragraphs

Develop body paragraphs that present your supporting arguments , backed by evidence and analysis. Each paragraph should focus on one main point and include relevant research, statistics, or examples to strengthen your argument.

Counter Arguments

Consider potential counterarguments and address them in your essay. Presenting opposing viewpoints and effectively refuting them demonstrates your understanding of the issue and adds credibility to your argument.

Conclude your essay by restating your thesis and summarizing the key points you've made. Offer final thoughts on the issue and, if appropriate, suggest potential solutions or directions for future research.

Examples of Cyberbullying Essay Structures

Chronological structure.

Begin your essay with a captivating hook to draw in your reader. Provide background information to set the context of the issue and introduce your thesis statement, clearly outlining your stance on the topic. Following a well-structured cyber bullying essay outline can help ensure your arguments are organized and persuasive.

Cause and Effect Structure

Arrange your essay to show the causes and effects of cyberbullying. This structure helps to highlight the reasons behind cyberbullying behaviors and the consequences it has on victims, perpetrators, and society as a whole.

Compare and Contrast Structure

Present your arguments by comparing and contrasting different aspects of cyberbullying. This structure may explore similarities and differences between traditional bullying and cyberbullying or examine how cyberbullying affects various age groups, social groups, or countries.

Problem-Solution Structure

Organize your essay by presenting the cyberbullying problem and then offering potential solutions. This structure is effective when discussing prevention strategies, policy interventions, or educational initiatives that can help address the issue of cyberbullying.

Tips for Writing an Effective Cyberbullying Essay

To craft a compelling cyber bullying essay, consider these essential tips for a well-rounded and persuasive argument.

Use Credible Sources

When researching for writing an essay on cyberbullying, it's crucial to rely on credible sources to strengthen your argument . Seek reputable resources, such as peer-reviewed articles, government publications, and respected organizations, to provide accurate and up-to-date information. Avoid using personal anecdotes or opinions as evidence, as they may not represent the broader issue. By incorporating reliable sources, you demonstrate your commitment to accuracy and enhance the credibility of your essay.

Avoid Using Derogatory Language

When discussing cyberbullying, it's important to avoid using derogatory language, even when describing the actions of the bullies. Using offensive language can inadvertently perpetuate harmful stereotypes and undermine the seriousness of the issue. Instead, choose words that accurately depict the actions and consequences of cyberbullying without resorting to offensive or inflammatory language. Maintaining a respectful tone throughout your essay demonstrates your sensitivity to the issue and helps maintain your credibility as a writer.

Provide Specific Examples

When writing a cyber bully essay, make it more engaging and relatable by providing specific examples of cyberbullying incidents. These examples can be real-life cases or hypothetical scenarios that illustrate the various forms of cyberbullying and their impact on victims. By incorporating examples, you can help your reader better understand the issue and empathize with those affected. Be sure to maintain the privacy and dignity of those involved in real-life cases by anonymizing their identities and avoiding graphic details that may be unnecessarily distressing.

Address the Root Causes of Cyberbullying

It's essential to address the root causes of cyberbullying to write a comprehensive and well-informed essay . These may include factors such as power imbalances, anonymity, social norms, and a lack of empathy or understanding of the consequences of one's actions. By examining the underlying causes, you can provide a more nuanced understanding of the issue and offer potential solutions or prevention strategies. This approach demonstrates your thorough grasp of the topic and effectively contributes to a more meaningful discussion on combatting cyberbullying.

Use a Respectful and Empathetic Tone

Issuing a respectful and empathetic tone is crucial when writing an effective cyberbullying essay. Acknowledge the emotions and experiences of those affected by cyberbullying, including the victims, their families, and even the perpetrators. Recognize that the issue is complex, and people's experiences may differ. Avoid passing judgment or making assumptions about the individuals involved. By maintaining a compassionate and empathetic tone, you demonstrate your understanding of the issue's gravity and show your readers that you care about the well-being of those impacted by cyberbullying.

As you can see, writing an effective cyber bullying essay requires a combination of thorough research, credible sources, a respectful and empathetic tone, and a focus on the issue's root causes. By incorporating these elements and following the suggested essay structures , you can create a compelling and informative essay that sheds light on this critical issue. Ultimately, your essay can raise awareness, promote empathy, and inspire change to address and prevent cyberbullying in our increasingly connected world.

about Cyber Bullying - List of Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Cyber bullying is a modern form of bullying that occurs online or through digital devices, having a significant impact on the mental health of individuals, particularly adolescents. Essays on cyber bullying might discuss its various forms, the psychological and societal repercussions, and the measures taken by schools, parents, and communities to combat and prevent cyber bullying. Comparisons between traditional and cyber bullying, and the role of social media platforms in propagating or mitigating cyber bullying might also be discussed. We’ve gathered an extensive assortment of free essay samples on the topic of Cyber Bullying you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

What are the Causes of Cyber Bullying?

David Molak was a high school sophomore in Texas. He was an Eagle Scout, Spurs fan, and devoted to fitness. In January 2016, he hung himself in his family's backyard. Before the suicide, David had received a series of texts from at least six to ten bullies. The messages insulted him and put him down. He had not done anything to attract this attention, his brother, Cliff, reported. His brother, Cliff, said, They crushed his spirit and took away his […]

The Effects of Bullying and Cyber Bullying

Cyberbullying is defined as posting, sending, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else over digital devices (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). However, cyberbullying is very dangerous and has the ability to cross the line into unlawful or criminal behavior. This, in brief, is the argument that cyberbullying is damaging to teens, adolescents, and even some adults. The following paper shall be an assessment on the issue. Following, I will further explain the the […]

How Cyberbullying Impact on Mental Health

Abstract Cyberbullying has been at an all time high since the invention of technology. With the use of cell phones and the internet it now easier then ever for adolescents to bully one another through text messages, social media, and through email. The internet it an extraordinary piece of technology but it can also be used to bully others. The majority of adolescents who bully through the internet or text messages don’t understand or know the dangers and how harmful […]

We will write an essay sample crafted to your needs.

Different Consequences of Cyber Bullying in School

Bullying can have a big impact on children to include problems that are physical, emotional, and social. The Nova Scotia Cyber-Safety Act states that new technology today has changed in many ways. One way it has changed is with communication. It has shifted the focus of child harassment from the playground to the computer. Instead of face-to-face bullying, children are now being bullied on the Internet. However, there isn’t enough internet monitoring done by parents to help keep their children […]

Persuasive Essay about Cyber Bullying: Navigating the Shadows and Illuminating the Digital Realm with Collective Action

Greetings, fellow advocates! We're about to tackle a pressing issue becoming increasingly prevalent – cyberbullying. This menace quietly thrives in the vast digital expanse, where connectivity knows no bounds. It's not just a matter of concern; it's an urgent call to action. Prepare to journey through this essay and shed light on the imperativeness of our collective efforts to combat cyberbullying. A Digital Landscape Darkened by Shadows As we navigate the realm of online interactions, the shadows cast by cyberbullying […]

Technology is a Useful Servant

"Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master ("The Nobel Peace 29). This is a true statement because technology can be used to do work, just like a slave. In schools though, cell phones can be a dangerous tool to students when it starts to control them, like a master does. Cell phones and schools just don't mix, which is why they shouldn't be used there. Despite the reasons for using cell phones in school, cell phones should not […]

Cyberbullying Vs. Traditional Bullying

Many studies show that cyberbullying and traditional bullying are much different from each other. They also say that one is worse than the other, but just how different are they? Many teens think that what they are posting or texting is a joke, but think if you would be on the receiving end. If the social media “joking”, continues it later becomes classified as cyberbullying. Cyberbullying and traditional bullying may have their differences, but they both are just as painful […]

Cyberbullying – how to Protect yourself

Cyber bullying is defined as misusing information to harass other people. Cyber bullying can come in many forms such as posting rude or negative words and rumors with the intent to publicly make fun of them in public. Cyber bullying is one of the main things that has become more frequent among teenagers, especially girls. Cyber bullying includes any kind of communications that want to do things such as control or manipulate any individual. A cyber bully's actions are frequent, […]

What Makes Cyberbullying Dangerous?

160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of the fear of getting bullied. Getting bullied is the third leading cause of death among young people. Bullying has become an epidemic. Being targeted by cyber bullies is not just emotional, but also physical. Cyberbullying can create anxiety and depression and sometimes it can lead to suicide. Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs through cell phones, tablets, and other devices. This type of bullying is done in many ways. For example, […]

Cyberbullying Among Teens

Before the internet, bullying was a problem, a problem that occurred in school hallways and popular hangout spots. Face-to-face bullying could only reach so far, the victims could choose to walk away and find a safe place. Adolescents and teenagers were safe in the privacy of their own homes. Hateful words and physical harm could not enter the walls of their own bedrooms. Now with rapidly growing technology bullying knows no boundaries. Cyberbullying has become a world-wide problem that can […]

Cyberbullying: the New Abuse of the Modern World

Cyberbullying has been an ongoing issue not just in the United States but for other countries as well. According to the Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia the definition of cyberbullying is intentional and repeated harm inflicted on people through the use of computers, cellular telephones, and other electronic devices (Cyberbullying). Cyberbullies often mock, harass, threaten, or humiliate others through electronic messages, images, or video (Cyberbullying). With technology continuing to progress, we have more sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and […]

The Dangers of Cyberbullying

In this essay I will explain to you what cyberbullying is, where you can find it the most, and why you should stop it. Cyberbullying has been around for a long time and can be used to in many ways. I personally have never dealt with someone cyberbullying me, but I have had friends that went through it and I can say to you it was very rough for them and I don’t wish that upon anyone. The reason that […]

Cyberbullying: Exploring Components of Offending in the Lens of the Social Learning Theory

Introduction As technology continues to advance in the 21st century, adolescents have become susceptible to the potential dangers that the Internet poses. Cross et al. (2015), stated that 98% of adolescents aged 12-14 years old have accessed the internet and have electronic devices such as cell phones and computers. It is suggested that the more time adolescents spend online in chat rooms, emails, and other social networking sites the more likely they are to be victims of various online crimes […]

Cyberbullying: a Growing Problem

Present day society has an increasing juvenile population who come into contact with technology and electronic devices every day. The proportion of teens with a smartphone has more than doubled since 2012, from 41% up to 89 %. Among 13 to 14 year olds, 84% now have a smartphone, and 93% have some type of mobile device such as a tablet. Nine out of 10 teens (89%) have their own smartphone, meaning that social media can be accessed anytime and […]

Cyberbullying is a Serious Cause for Concern

Introduction For this project I wanted to discuss Cyberbullying. I chose this because it is a huge issue still and has been since technology became more prominent in the youth. It is something that can be ignored and needs to be talked about. Educational Significance- The importance of this topic is that cyberbullying not only mentally effects students, follows them home, and can affect their school work. About half of young people have experienced some form of cyberbullying, and 10 […]

A Discussion on the Effects of Cyberbullying Among the Youth in Namibia

Introduction Cyberbullying became a major concern issue among the youth. Statistics revealed that 44.6% of pupils in secondary school are bullied, with 66% being grade 8 pupils'' (Nekomba, 2015) . According to the oxford dictionary (2014), cyberbullying is defined as the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of intimidating or threatening nature''. Cyberbullying occur through text messages, and applications or social media. This threatening act involves scaring someone. Social media refers to applications such […]

How is Cyberbullying Affecting Students of all Ages?

How is cyberbullying affecting students of All ages? Bullying has been a problem in schools since most of us can remember. As modern technology advances cyberbullying advances with it and takes on a new appearance. Kids these days have so many outlets of which they can use to bully one another. While Cyberbullying has been all over the news recently, technologies continue to advance, and this bullying seems to become more prevalent. Bullying has been happening for as long as […]

What is Cyberbullying?

Human all around the world are living in the 21st century and there is one thing most of us cannot live without is our phone. The number of internet uses and social networking have increased unbelievably. From that major problem of the society which people let the use of social networking increases, it creates many more concerns to the society. Most people use social networks for the sake of enriching their lives, to connect to other people. But there are […]

Cyberbullying – Growing Problem

Cyberbullying is a Growing Problem that Isn’t being Dealt with enough “go kill yourself” or “nobody needs you” or “disappear” is what appears on young children’s screens on a daily basis, mostly on snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and many more socializing apps. Nowadays, technology has advanced and evolved over the years and they have benefited us in so many ways. Such as work, school, socializing, and many more. But what if that technology was used against us, more specifically; adolescence. This […]

Technology has Improved

Technology has improved the lives of many. It has improved communication and learning, but there are some bad things about certain electronics. Phones, they can be very bad for people. Although they help us in today's society. There can be some bad side effects of social media and the phone in general. Three bad effects of cell phone use include bad grades, eye and brain damage,and cyberbullying. Phones can have a bad effect on grades. Using a phone before going […]

Cyberbullying and 13 Reasons why

There is no federal statue directly addressing cyberbullying. The federal law impacts cyberbullying when harassment is covered by the federal civil rights laws governing discrimination. The federal law can be implicated in certain cyberbullying incidents especially when student speech is being restricted. School districts are challenged daily addressing bullying and cyberbullying with on and off campus bullying behaviors and schools are sometimes challenged in court as free speech violations. All 50 states have enacted laws that prohibit bullying in school […]

Cyberbullying: what Can you Do?

Abstract The literature review article is on Cyberbullying. The areas that are covered in the review have been separated from the learning definition of cyberbullying. The roles of adolescents involved in this issue that are targeted are a part of the statistics. The reasons that cyberbullying has become an issue are the differences between traditional bullying and cyberbullying. The discovery of cyberbullying will provide a foundation for developing cyberbullying intervention programs. The issue of cyberbullying is in existence has become […]

The Effects of Bullying and Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying basically refers to a type of bullying that usually occurs through the digital devices such as phones, tablets and computers. Normally this type of bullying occurs through SMS or rather text messages, phone applications or sometimes it may involve the social media platforms including and not limited to Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram. Moreover, this type of bullying is commonly experienced by the young people and when it involves adults, it may yield to illegal cyber-stalking or cyber-harassment and in […]

Cyberbullying Laws

One myth that is prevalent in today's society is that cyberbullying is less serious and has less implications than traditional physical bullying. Although many people would believe that traditional bullying is more extensive and has a larger effect on a person's well-being because it is face to face, this may not be true. In fact, cyberbullying may be just as bad. "Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior […]

How Protecting Oneself from Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is prevalent in our society today and it radically affects teenagers. The impact is seen in news stories, posts on social media, and incidents happening at numerous schools around the country. Cyberbullying is ubiquitous, and victims can be identified by their behavior. The bullies themselves possess specific characteristics. This needs to be stopped. I will be discussing how to prevent cyberbullying, how parents can contribute to halting it, signs of cyberbullying, and finally, how to prevent it on social […]

Cyberbullying is a Serious Problem

The Cyberbullying has become a major social concern because raises questions about the ethical use of technology. In recent years, has been the subject of research and information and prevention and activities for different groups such as organizations, schools and parents’ to protect against the muse of technology, and because of that, this paper explains on how cyberbullying is the same to sociology and the issue of how is related to the world. Cyber-bullying is defined as an aggressive, intentional […]

Cyberbullying and Business

Cyberbullying is it normally associated with large corporations. Now social media is a company's downfall (David, 2018). The word cyber has anything dealing with networking and computers. It is a way someone can use computers to cause dangers or harm to anyone (Benner, 2012). This can be done by being hacked to where they can get your credit card information. This can also can destroy family and an individual's life. Businesses cannot protect themselves from this type of illegal attack. […]

The Internet has Changed Bullying

Many people around the world now have access to the internet. Teenagers use the internet for many reasons such as socializing, education, and to maintain personal and professional relationships. However, some teenagers misuse the internet for wrong reasons such as cyberbullying and racisms through social media. Teenagers should only be allowed to use social media only if they are using it the appropriate reasons. Cyberbullying and racisms happen even to this day because of immature behaviors that teenagers do not […]

Suicide and Bullying

A major concern in today’s society is the continuous growth in suicide in our youths. The Center for Disease Control and prevention reported that suicide was the third leading cause of death among adolescents in 2004. Due to bullying and cyberbullying adolescents are starting to feel depressed, hopelessness, loneliness, and are having a decrease in self-worth. There have been several high-profile cases involving teenagers taking their own lives because of them being harassed and mistreated over the internet. There is […]

Cyberbullying Technology: the Prevalence of Cyberstalking

Cyberbullying is the utilization of technology to promote unwanted behavior towards others. Devices such as the internet, social media forums and gaming apps can be used to post and share harmful information about someone else. Cyberbullying is considered extremely dangerous because in just a matter of seconds hurtful posts about someone else can be shared and become a kind of public record. Cyberbullying can have implications for everyone involved. However, more is being done to help address cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is […]

Featured Categories

Additional example essays.

• Positive Effects of Social Media
• Appropriate Age for Social Media
• Crime and the Why
• Educational Journey
• Leadership and the Army Profession
• Why College Should Not Be Free
• Shakespeare's Hamlet Character Analysis
• A Raisin in the Sun Theme
• Why Abortion Should be Illegal
• The Devil And Tom Walker: Romanticism
• Beauty Pageants for Children Should Be Banned: Protecting Child Well-being
• Recycling Should be Mandatory

How To Write an Essay About Cyber Bullying

Understanding cyber bullying.

Before writing an essay about cyber bullying, it's important to understand what it encompasses. Cyber bullying is a form of bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. It can include sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else, often causing embarrassment or humiliation. Start your essay by defining cyber bullying and discussing its various forms, such as harassment, outing, and cyberstalking. It's also important to explore the psychological impact of cyber bullying on victims, which can range from emotional distress to more severe consequences like depression and anxiety.

Developing a Thesis Statement

A strong essay on cyber bullying should be centered around a clear, concise thesis statement. This statement should present a specific viewpoint or argument about cyber bullying. For instance, you might discuss the effects of cyber bullying on adolescent mental health, analyze the role of social media platforms in facilitating cyber bullying, or argue for specific policies or interventions to prevent cyber bullying. Your thesis will guide the direction of your essay and provide a structured approach to your analysis.

Gathering Supporting Evidence

To support your thesis, gather evidence from a variety of sources, including statistical data, case studies, and research findings. This evidence might include prevalence rates of cyber bullying, psychological studies on its effects, or examples of successful intervention strategies. Use this evidence to support your thesis and build a persuasive argument. Remember to consider different perspectives and include testimonies or experiences of those who have been affected by cyber bullying.

Analyzing the Impact of Cyber Bullying

Dedicate a section of your essay to analyzing the impact of cyber bullying. Discuss how it differs from traditional forms of bullying in its reach and persistence, and explore the unique challenges it presents due to the digital nature of the interaction. Consider both the immediate and long-term effects of cyber bullying on individuals, as well as its broader social implications.

Concluding the Essay

Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points of your discussion and restating your thesis in light of the evidence provided. Your conclusion should tie together your analysis and emphasize the significance of addressing cyber bullying in the digital age. You might also want to suggest areas for future research, or propose specific actions that could be taken by individuals, communities, or policymakers to combat cyber bullying.

Reviewing and Refining Your Essay

After completing your essay, review and edit it for clarity and coherence. Ensure that your arguments are well-structured and supported by evidence. Check for grammatical accuracy and ensure that your essay flows logically from one point to the next. Consider seeking feedback from peers, educators, or experts in the field to refine your essay further. A well-crafted essay on cyber bullying will not only demonstrate your understanding of the issue but also your ability to engage with complex social and technological issues.

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

Essay on Cyber Bullying

Students are often asked to write an essay on Cyber Bullying in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Cyber Bullying

Understanding cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying is a type of bullying done through digital platforms. It includes sending, posting, or sharing negative content that harms others.

Impact of Cyber Bullying

It can cause emotional distress. Victims may feel sad, angry, or scared, and it can affect their school work.

Preventing Cyber Bullying

To prevent cyber bullying, don’t respond or forward harmful messages. Always report bullying to adults or the platform where it happened.

Cyber bullying is harmful. It’s important to stand against it and support victims.

250 Words Essay on Cyber Bullying

Introduction.

Cyberbullying, a modern form of harassment, has emerged with the advent of innovative communication technologies. This digital form of bullying is characterized by the intent to cause emotional distress and the repeated use of communication tools to harm others.

The Prevalence of Cyberbullying

The ubiquity of the internet and the proliferation of social media platforms have exacerbated the prevalence of cyberbullying. It has become an alarming issue, particularly among younger demographics, due to its detrimental psychological effects, including anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

Understanding the Mechanisms

Cyberbullies exploit the anonymity of the internet, which emboldens them to launch attacks without fear of immediate repercussion. The absence of face-to-face interaction desensitizes them to the emotional harm they inflict, making it a pervasive problem.

Preventive Measures and Solutions

Addressing cyberbullying requires a multifaceted approach. Education about digital citizenship, empathy, and the potential harm caused by cyberbullying, are crucial. Additionally, the implementation of strict policies and laws can deter potential cyberbullies.

Cyberbullying is a pressing issue in our digital society. It necessitates collective efforts from educators, parents, policymakers, and internet users to create a safer online environment. By fostering awareness, understanding, and empathy, we can mitigate the effects of cyberbullying and build a more respectful digital community.

500 Words Essay on Cyber Bullying

Introduction to cyber bullying, the prevalence of cyber bullying.

As technology advances and becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the prevalence of cyber bullying has risen significantly. The anonymity provided by the internet often emboldens individuals to engage in destructive behavior without fear of immediate consequences. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, approximately 34% of students have experienced cyber bullying during their lifetime.

The Impact of Cyber Bullying

The impact of cyber bullying on the mental health of victims can be devastating. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Unlike traditional bullying, cyber bullying can be relentless and ubiquitous, with victims unable to escape their tormentors even within the safety of their own homes. The harmful effects can extend beyond the individual and impact their families and communities.

Preventing and Combating Cyber Bullying

Additionally, legislation plays a critical role in combating this issue. Many countries have enacted laws to address cyber bullying, but enforcement remains a challenge due to the global nature of the internet.

The Role of Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms also have a responsibility to combat cyber bullying. They can do this by implementing stricter community guidelines, developing effective reporting systems, and using advanced algorithms to detect and remove harmful content.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

78 Cyber Bullying Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best cyber bullying topic ideas & essay examples, 💡 interesting topics to write about cyber bullying, 👍 good essay topics on cyber bullying, ❓ questions about cyberbullying research.

• Cyber Bullying Issue Therefore, the goal of this paper is to analyse who the victims of cyber bullying are and the influence it has on them.
• The Effects of Cyber-Bullying and Cyber-Stalking on the Society In particular, one should focus on such issues as the disrespect for a person’s autonomy, the growing intensity of domestic violence and deteriorating mental health in the country.
• Cyber Bullying and Positivist Theory of Crime Learning theory approaches to the explanation of criminal behavior have been associated with one of the major sociological theories of crime, the differential association theory.
• Cyber Bullying Reduction Program Table of Activities Activity Significance Assembling parents/guardians, students and teachers to announce and explain the program in the institution To enlighten parents/guardians, students and teachers about the rules and regulation enacted due to the threat […]
• Cyber Bullying Prevention in Learning Institutions: Systematic Approach To start with, the students are provided with ways of reporting their concern to the educational institution, and when the staff members of the institution receive the report, they evaluate the information together with the […]
• Discouraging and Eliminating Cyber Bullying Resources Role of the resource/input Statement forms To facilitate information transfer to the staff Counseling Personnel To arm students against the problem Bullying report system To create efficient internet enhance report system Regulation implementation documents […]
• Cyber Bullying and Its Forms The difference between the conventional way of bullying and cyber bullying is that in conventional bullying, there is contact between the bully and the victim.
• Ethics in Technology: Cyber Crimes Furthermore, the defendant altered the data, which compromised the integrity of the information to the detriment of the organizations involved. In this litigation, Aleksey Vladimirovich Ivanov was the defendant while the American government was the […]
• Cyber Bullying as a Virtual Menace The use of information and communication technologies to support a deliberate and most of the time repeated hostile behavior by an individual or groups of people with the sole intention of harming others, one is […]
• Ethical Case: Facebook Gossip or Cyberbullying? The best option to Paige is to apologize publicly and withdraw her comments. The final stage is to act and reflect the outcome of the choice made.
• Freedom Of Speech In The Era Of Cyber Bullying
• The Negative Impacts of Technology on Social Skills: Anxiety, Awkward Conversations, Cyber Bullying, and Lack of Awareness
• Different Consequences of Cyber Bullying in School
• The Study Of Cyber Bullying Victimization On Children Who Are Addicted To The Internet
• The Causes and Harmful Effects of Cyber Bullying
• Why Do Cyber Bullying Laws Need to Be Enforced
• Unsecured Privacy Settings, Cyber Bullying, And Facebook Crime
• Bullying Carried too Far: Cyber Bullying and Violent Bullying
• Cyber Bullying: Misuse of Information and Communications Technology
• Cyber Bullying and Why Parents Need to Monitor Their Children’s Activity
• The Detrimental Effects of Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Bullying, Its Forms, Impact, and Relationship to Juvenile Delinquency
• How Cyber Bullying Affects Our Lives Negatively
• The Effects Of Cyber Bullying On Substance Use And Mental Health
• Cyberbullying : Causes And Dangers Of Cyber Bullying
• The Effects Of Cyber Bullying On The Mental Health Of Middle School Aged Youth
• Is Cyber Bullying Morally Justifiable
• Cyber Bullying And Its Effect On Our Youth
• An Analysis of Cyber Bullying in Today’s World
• Cyber Bullying And Its Effect On The Lives Of The American
• Bullying And The Potential Motives Behind Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Bullying And Its Various Forms
• Bullying In The Digital Age: Electronic Or Cyber Bullying
• Information Technology – Role of Social Networking Cites in Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Bullying : A Consistent Problem For Young People
• Cause And Effect Of Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Bullying, Creating a Culture of Respect
• Cyber Bullying And Its Effect On Adolescents
• Prevention And Intervention Of Cyber Bullying
• Investigating Cyber Bullying Using Social Media
• Cyber Bullying Affects People ‘s Lives More Than One Might Think
• The Cyber Crime and the Cyber Bullying
• The Cause of Cyber Bullying and the Effect of the Mental Development of Teenagers
• Cyber Bullying: An Uncontrollable Epidemic
• The Psychological Impact of Cyber Bullying
• The Eternal Effects Of Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Bullying : Bullying Through Technology
• Why Does Online Anonymity Increase Cyberbullying Among Teenagers?
• Are Laws Effective Strategy Address Issue Cyberbullying?
• Are Schools Doing Enough About Cyberbullying?
• What Are the Causes of Cyberbullying?
• What Is the Prevention of Cyberbullying?
• Is Cyberbullying Related to a Lack of Empathy and Social-Emotional Problems?
• How Often Do Celebrities Suffer From Cyberbullying?
• What Are the Characteristics of Cyberbullying Among Students?
• How Does Social Integration of Children Help to Combat Cyberbullying?
• What Is the Correlation Between Suicide Rates and Cyberbullying?
• How Does Cyberbullying Affect Society?
• What Is the Correlation Between Depression, Bullying and Cyberbullying?
• Are There Gender Differences in Cyberbullying?
• What Is the Criminal Penalty for Cyberbullying?
• What International Associations Prevent Cyberbullying?
• What Is the Role of Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Cyberbullying?
• What Are the Solutions to Cyberbullying?
• Can Cyberbullying Be Called Cyber Crime?
• What Is the Role of Teachers in Preventing Cyberbullying?
• Can Internet Privacy Be Enough to Prevent Cyberbullying?
• How Does Cyberbullying Affect Children?
• How Many American Teenagers Are Cyberbullied?
• How Does Cyberbullying Affect Mental Health?
• How Is Cyberbullying Different From Physical Bullying?
• Is Cyberbullying an Example of Psychological Abuse?
• Can School Policies Reduce Cyberbullying?
• How Does Cyberbullying Affect Teenagers’ Self-Esteem?
• What Are the Consequences of Cyberbullying?
• Has the Proliferation of Social Media Led to an Increase in Cyberbullying?
• Is Cyberbullying Less Criminal Than Traditional Bullying?
• Cyber Security Topics
• Cyberspace Topics
• Crime Ideas
• Mental Health Essay Ideas
• Fake News Research Ideas
• Internet Research Ideas
• Freedom of Speech Ideas
• Online Community Essay Topics
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, October 26). 78 Cyber Bullying Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/cyber-bullying-essay-examples/

"78 Cyber Bullying Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 26 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/cyber-bullying-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '78 Cyber Bullying Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 26 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. "78 Cyber Bullying Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." October 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/cyber-bullying-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "78 Cyber Bullying Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." October 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/cyber-bullying-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "78 Cyber Bullying Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." October 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/cyber-bullying-essay-examples/.

Cyberbullying: What is it and how can you stop it?

Explore the latest psychological science about the impact of cyberbullying and what to do if you or your child is a victim

• Mental Health
• Social Media and Internet

Cyberbullying can happen anywhere with an internet connection. While traditional, in-person bullying is still more common , data from the Cyberbullying Research Center suggest about 1 in every 4 teens has experienced cyberbullying, and about 1 in 6 has been a perpetrator. About 1 in 5 tweens, or kids ages 9 to 12, has been involved in cyberbullying (PDF, 5.57MB) .

As technology advances, so do opportunities to connect with people—but unfettered access to others isn’t always a good thing, especially for youth. Research has long linked more screen time with lower psychological well-being , including higher rates of anxiety and depression. The risk of harm is higher when kids and teens are victimized by cyberbullying.

Here’s what you need to know about cyberbullying, and psychology’s role in stopping it.

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying occurs when someone uses technology to demean, inflict harm, or cause pain to another person. It is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” Perpetrators bully victims in any online setting, including social media, video or computer games, discussion boards, or text messaging on mobile devices.

Virtual bullying can affect anyone, regardless of age. However, the term “cyberbullying” usually refers to online bullying among children and teenagers. It may involve name calling, threats, sharing private or embarrassing photos, or excluding others.

One bully can harass another person online or several bullies can gang up on an individual. While a stranger can incite cyberbullying, it more frequently occurs among kids or teens who know each other from school or other social settings. Research suggests bullying often happens both at school and online .

Online harassment between adults can involve different terms, depending on the relationship and context. For example, dating violence, sexual harassment, workplace harassment, and scamming—more common among adults—can all happen on the internet.

How can cyberbullying impact the mental health of myself or my child?

Any form of bullying can negatively affect the victim’s well-being, both at the time the bullying occurs and in the future. Psychological research suggests being victimized by a cyberbully increases stress and may result in anxiety and depression symptoms . Some studies find anxiety and depression increase the likelihood adolescents will become victims to cyberbullying .

Cyberbullying can also cause educational harm , affecting a student’s attendance or academic performance, especially when bullying occurs both online and in school or when a student has to face their online bully in the classroom. Kids and teens may rely on negative coping mechanisms, such as substance use, to deal with the stress of cyberbullying. In extreme cases, kids and teens may struggle with self-harm or suicidal ideation .

How can parents talk to their children about cyberbullying?

Parents play a crucial role in preventing cyberbullying and associated harms. Be aware of what your kids are doing online, whether you check your child’s device, talk to them about their online behaviors, or install a monitoring program. Set rules about who your child can friend or interact with on social media platforms. For example, tell your child if they wouldn’t invite someone to your house, then they shouldn’t give them access to their social media accounts. Parents should also familiarize themselves with signs of cyberbullying , such as increased device use, anger or anxiety after using a device, or hiding devices when others are nearby.

Communicating regularly about cyberbullying is an important component in preventing it from affecting your child’s well-being. Psychologists recommend talking to kids about how to be safe online before they have personal access to the internet. Familiarize your child with the concept of cyberbullying as soon as they can understand it. Develop a game plan to problem solve if it occurs. Cultivating open dialogue about cyberbullying can ensure kids can identify the experience and tell an adult, before it escalates into a more harmful situation.

It’s also important to teach kids what to do if someone else is being victimized. For example, encourage your child to tell a teacher or parent if someone they know is experiencing cyberbullying.

Keep in mind kids may be hesitant to open up about cyberbullying because they’re afraid they’ll lose access to their devices. Encourage your child to be open with you by reminding them they won’t get in trouble for talking to you about cyberbullying. Clearly explain your goal is to allow them to communicate with their friends safely online.

How can I report cyberbullying?

How you handle cyberbullying depends on a few factors, such as the type of bullying and your child’s age. You may choose to intervene by helping a younger child problem solve whereas teens may prefer to handle the bullying on their own with a caregiver’s support.

In general, it’s a good practice to take screenshots of the cyberbullying incidents as a record, but not to respond to bullies’ messages. Consider blocking cyberbullies to prevent future harassment.

Parents should contact the app or website directly about removing bullying-related posts, especially if they reveal private or embarrassing information. Some social media sites suspend perpetrators’ accounts.

If the bullying also occurs at school or on a school-owned device, or if the bullying is affecting a child’s school performance, it may be appropriate to speak with your child’s teacher or school personnel.

What are the legal ramifications of cyberbullying?

In some cases, parents should report cyberbullying to law enforcement. If cyberbullying includes threats to someone’s physical safety, consider contacting your local police department.

What’s illegal can vary from state to state. Any illegal behaviors, such as blackmailing someone to send money, hate crimes, stalking, or posting sexual photos of a minor, can have legal repercussions. If you’re not sure about what’s legal and what’s not, check your state’s laws and law enforcement .

Are big tech companies responsible for promoting positive digital spaces?

In an ideal world, tech companies would prioritize creating safer online environments for young people. Some companies are working toward it already, including partnering with psychologists to better understand how their products affect kids, and how to keep them safe. But going the extra mile isn’t always profitable for technology companies. For now, it’s up to individuals, families, and communities to protect kids’ and teens’ best interest online.

What does the research show about psychology’s role in reducing this issue?

Many studies show preventative measures can drastically reduce cyberbullying perpetration and victimization . Parents and caregivers, schools, and technology companies play a role in educating kids about media literacy and mental health. Psychologists—thanks to their expertise in child and teen development, communication, relationships, and mental health—can also make important contributions in preventing cyberbullying.

Because cybervictimization coincides with anxiety and depression, research suggests mental health clinicians and educators should consider interventions that both address adolescents’ online experiences and support their mental, social, and emotional well-being. Psychologists can also help parents speak to their kids about cyberbullying, along with supporting families affected by it.

You can learn more about cyberbullying at these websites:

• Cyberbullying Research Center
• StopBullying.gov
• Nemours Kids Health

Acknowledgments

APA gratefully acknowledges the following contributors to this publication:

• Sarah Domoff, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Central Michigan University
• Dorothy Espelage, PhD, William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of North Carolina
• Stephanie Fredrick, PhD, NCSP, assistant professor and associate director of the Dr. Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York
• Brian TaeHyuk Keum, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
• Mitchell J. Prinstein, PhD, chief science officer at APA
• Susan Swearer, PhD, Willa Cather Professor of School Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; licensed psychologist

Recommended Reading

You may also like

• Essay Topic Generator
• Essay Grader
• Reference Finder
• AI Outline Generator
• Paragraph Expander
• Essay Expander
• Literature Review Generator
• Thesis Generator
• Text Editing Tools
• AI Rewording Tool
• AI Sentence Rewriter
• AI Article Spinner
• AI Grammar Checker
• Spell Checker
• PDF Spell Check
• Paragraph Checker
• Free AI Essay Writer
• Paraphraser
• Grammar Checker
• Citation Generator
• Plagiarism Checker
• AI Detector
• AI Essay Checker
• Proofreading Service
• Editing Service
• AI Writing Guides
• AI Detection Guides
• Citation Guides
• Grammar Guides
• Paraphrasing Guides
• Plagiarism Guides
• Summary Writing Guides
• STEM Guides
• Humanities Guides
• Language Learning Guides
• Coding Guides
• Top Lists and Recommendations
• AI Detectors
• AI Writing Services
• Coding Homework Help
• Citation Generators
• Editing Websites
• Essay Writing Websites
• Language Learning Websites
• Math Solvers
• Paraphrasers
• Plagiarism Checkers
• Reference Finders
• Spell Checkers
• Summarizers
• Tutoring Websites
• Essay Checkers
• Essay Topic Finders
• Critical Essay Examples and Samples
• Descriptive Essay Examples and Samples 2024
• Compare and Contrast Essay Examples and Samples
• Narrative Essay Examples and Samples
• Best Persuasive Essay Examples
• Expository Essay Examples and Samples
• Cause and Effect Essay Examples and Samples 2024
• Definition Essay Examples and Samples
• Reflective Essay Examples and Samples
• Analytical Essay Examples and Samples 2024
• Summary Essay Examples and Samples
• Evaluation Essay Examples and Samples
• Argumentative Essay Examples and Samples
• NHS Essay Examples and Samples
• Discourse Community Essay Examples
• Essay on Synthesis Examples, Samples
• Essay on Racism Examples and Samples
• Essay on Gun Violence Examples and Samples
• Essay on Mental Health Examples and Samples
• Essay on Nursing Examples and Samples
• Essay on Gun Control Examples and Samples
• Essay on Education Examples and Samples
• Essay on Who Am I Examples and Samples
• Essay on Bullying Examples and Samples
• Essay on Artificial Intelligence Examples and Samples
• Essay on Music Examples and Samples
• Essay on Problem Solution Examples and Samples
• Essay on Integrity Examples and Samples
• Essay on Leadership Examples and Samples
• Essay on Domestic Violence Examples and Samples
• Essay on Respect Examples and Samples
• Essay on Profile Examples and Samples
• Essay on Life Examples and Samples
• Essay on Autobiographical Examples and Samples
• Essay on Obesity Examples and Samples

Essay on Cyberbullying Examples and Samples

• Essay on Technology Examples and Samples
• Essay on Professionalism Examples and Samples
• Essay on Career Goals Examples and Samples
• Essay on Animal Testing Examples and Samples
• Essay on Drug Abuse Examples and Samples
• Essay on Immigrations Examples and Samples
• Essay on Capital Punishment Examples and Samples
• Essay on Communication Examples and Samples
• Essay on Friendship Examples and Samples
• Essay on Community Service Examples and Samples
• Essay on My Family Examples and Samples
• Essay on Frankenstein Examples and Samples
• Essay on Pro Life Examples and Samples
• Essay on Anxiety Examples and Samples
• Essay on Industrial Revolution Examples and Samples
• Essay on Research Argument Examples and Samples
• Essay on Food Examples and Samples
• Essay on Great Depression Examples and Samples
• Essay on Self-Reflection Examples and Samples
• Essay on The Great Gatsby Examples and Samples
• Essay On What Does It Mean to Be American Examples and Samples
• Essay on World War 2 Examples and Samples
• Essay on Ethics Examples and Samples
• Essay on Concert Review Examples and Samples
• Essay on Fahrenheit 451 Examples and Samples
• Essay on Nursing Scholarship Examples and Samples
• Essay on Pro Choice Examples and Samples
• Essay on Process Analysis Examples and Samples
• Essay on Solar Energy Examples and Samples
• Essay on Personal Narrative Examples and Samples
• Essay on Hamlet Examples and Samples
• Essay on Civil Rights Examples and Samples
• Essay on Rhetoric Examples and Samples
• Essay on Martin Luther King Examples and Samples

Recent Articles

May 16 2023

Creating School Environments Free from Harassment Essay Sample, Example

Jan 05 2018

Reasons Why People Commit Suicide Essay Sample, Example

Remember Me

What is your profession ? Student Teacher Writer Other

Forgotten Password?

Username or Email

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Digestive Health
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Diet & Nutrition
• Health Insurance
• Public Health
• Patient Rights
• Caregivers & Loved Ones
• End of Life Concerns
• Health News
• Thyroid Test Analyzer
• Doctor Discussion Guides
• Hemoglobin A1c Test Analyzer
• Lipid Test Analyzer
• Complete Blood Count (CBC) Analyzer
• What to Buy
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Cyberbullying: Everything You Need to Know

• Cyberbullying
• How to Respond

Cyberbullying is the act of intentionally and consistently mistreating or harassing someone through the use of electronic devices or other forms of electronic communication (like social media platforms).

Because cyberbullying mainly affects children and adolescents, many brush it off as a part of growing up. However, cyberbullying can have dire mental and emotional consequences if left unaddressed.

This article discusses cyberbullying, its adverse effects, and what can be done about it.

FangXiaNuo / Getty Images

Cyberbullying Statistics and State Laws

The rise of digital communication methods has paved the way for a new type of bullying to form, one that takes place outside of the schoolyard. Cyberbullying follows kids home, making it much more difficult to ignore or cope.

Statistics 

As many as 15% of young people between 12 and 18 have been cyberbullied at some point. However, over 25% of children between 13 and 15 were cyberbullied in one year alone.

About 6.2% of people admitted that they’ve engaged in cyberbullying at some point in the last year. The age at which a person is most likely to cyberbully one of their peers is 13.

Those subject to online bullying are twice as likely to self-harm or attempt suicide . The percentage is much higher in young people who identify as LGBTQ, at 56%.

Cyberbullying by Sex and Sexual Orientation

Cyberbullying statistics differ among various groups, including:

• Girls and boys reported similar numbers when asked if they have been cyberbullied, at 23.7% and 21.9%, respectively.
• LGBTQ adolescents report cyberbullying at higher rates, at 31.7%. Up to 56% of young people who identify as LGBTQ have experienced cyberbullying.
• Transgender teens were the most likely to be cyberbullied, at a significantly high rate of 35.4%.

State Laws 

The laws surrounding cyberbullying vary from state to state. However, all 50 states have developed and implemented specific policies or laws to protect children from being cyberbullied in and out of the classroom.

The laws were put into place so that students who are being cyberbullied at school can have access to support systems, and those who are being cyberbullied at home have a way to report the incidents.

Legal policies or programs developed to help stop cyberbullying include:

• Bullying prevention programs
• Cyberbullying education courses for teachers
• Procedures designed to investigate instances of cyberbullying
• Support systems for children who have been subject to cyberbullying 

Are There Federal Laws Against Cyberbullying?

There are no federal laws or policies that protect people from cyberbullying. However, federal involvement may occur if the bullying overlaps with harassment. Federal law will get involved if the bullying concerns a person’s race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, or religion.

Examples of Cyberbullying 

There are several types of bullying that can occur online, and they all look different.

Harassment can include comments, text messages, or threatening emails designed to make the cyberbullied person feel scared, embarrassed, or ashamed of themselves.

Other forms of harassment include:

• Using group chats as a way to gang up on one person
• Making derogatory comments about a person based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, or other characteristics
• Posting mean or untrue things on social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, as a way to publicly hurt the person experiencing the cyberbullying  

Impersonation

A person may try to pretend to be the person they are cyberbullying to attempt to embarrass, shame, or hurt them publicly. Some examples of this include:

• Hacking into someone’s online profile and changing any part of it, whether it be a photo or their "About Me" portion, to something that is either harmful or inappropriate
• Catfishing, which is when a person creates a fake persona to trick someone into a relationship with them as a joke or for their own personal gain
• Making a fake profile using the screen name of their target to post inappropriate or rude remarks on other people’s pages

Other Examples

Not all forms of cyberbullying are the same, and cyberbullies use other tactics to ensure that their target feels as bad as possible. Some tactics include:

• Taking nude or otherwise degrading photos of a person without their consent
• Sharing or posting nude pictures with a wide audience to embarrass the person they are cyberbullying
• Sharing personal information about a person on a public website that could cause them to feel unsafe
• Physically bullying someone in school and getting someone else to record it so that it can be watched and passed around later
• Circulating rumors about a person

How to Know When a Joke Turns Into Cyberbullying

People may often try to downplay cyberbullying by saying it was just a joke. However, any incident that continues to make a person feel shame, hurt, or blatantly disrespected is not a joke and should be addressed. People who engage in cyberbullying tactics know that they’ve crossed these boundaries, from being playful to being harmful.

Effects and Consequences of Cyberbullying 

Research shows many negative effects of cyberbullying, some of which can lead to severe mental health issues. Cyberbullied people are twice as likely to experience suicidal thoughts, actions, or behaviors and engage in self-harm as those who are not.

Other negative health consequences of cyberbullying are:

• Stomach pain and digestive issues
• Sleep disturbances
• Difficulties with academics
• Violent behaviors
• High levels of stress
• Inability to feel safe
• Feelings of loneliness and isolation
• Feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness

If You’ve Been Cyberbullied 

Being on the receiving end of cyberbullying is hard to cope with. It can feel like you have nowhere to turn and no escape. However, some things can be done to help overcome cyberbullying experiences.

Advice for Preteens and Teenagers

The best thing you can do if you’re being cyberbullied is tell an adult you trust. It may be challenging to start the conversation because you may feel ashamed or embarrassed. However, if it is not addressed, it can get worse.

Other ways you can cope with cyberbullying include:

• Walk away : Walking away online involves ignoring the bullies, stepping back from your computer or phone, and finding something you enjoy doing to distract yourself from the bullying.
• Don’t retaliate : You may want to defend yourself at the time. But engaging with the bullies can make matters worse.
• Keep evidence : Save all copies of the cyberbullying, whether it be posts, texts, or emails, and keep them if the bullying escalates and you need to report them.
• Report : Social media sites take harassment seriously, and reporting them to site administrators may block the bully from using the site.
• Block : You can block your bully from contacting you on social media platforms and through text messages.

In some cases, therapy may be a good option to help cope with the aftermath of cyberbullying.

Advice for Parents

As a parent, watching your child experience cyberbullying can be difficult. To help in the right ways, you can:

• Offer support and comfort : Listening to your child explain what's happening can be helpful. If you've experienced bullying as a child, sharing that experience may provide some perspective on how it can be overcome and that the feelings don't last forever.
• Make sure they know they are not at fault : Whatever the bully uses to target your child can make them feel like something is wrong with them. Offer praise to your child for speaking up and reassure them that it's not their fault.
• Contact the school : Schools have policies to protect children from bullying, but to help, you have to inform school officials.
• Keep records : Ask your child for all the records of the bullying and keep a copy for yourself. This evidence will be helpful to have if the bullying escalates and further action needs to be taken.
• Try to get them help : In many cases, cyberbullying can lead to mental stress and sometimes mental health disorders. Getting your child a therapist gives them a safe place to work through their experience.

In the Workplace 

Although cyberbullying more often affects children and adolescents, it can also happen to adults in the workplace. If you are dealing with cyberbullying at your workplace, you can:

• Let your bully know how what they said affected you and that you expect it to stop.
• Keep copies of any harassment that goes on in the workplace.
• Report your cyberbully to your human resources (HR) department.
• Report your cyberbully to law enforcement if you are being threatened.
• Close off all personal communication pathways with your cyberbully.
• Maintain a professional attitude at work regardless of what is being said or done.
• Seek out support through friends, family, or professional help.

Effective Action Against Cyberbullying

If cyberbullying continues, actions will have to be taken to get it to stop, such as:

• Talking to a school official : Talking to someone at school may be difficult, but once you do, you may be grateful that you have some support. Schools have policies to address cyberbullying.
• Confide in parents or trusted friends : Discuss your experience with your parents or others you trust. Having support on your side will make you feel less alone.
• Report it on social media : Social media sites have strict rules on the types of interactions and content sharing allowed. Report your aggressor to the site to get them banned and eliminate their ability to contact you.
• Block the bully : Phones, computers, and social media platforms contain options to block correspondence from others. Use these blocking tools to help free yourself from cyberbullying.

Help Is Available

If you or someone you know are having suicidal thoughts, dial  988  to contact the  988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline  and connect with a trained counselor. To find mental health resources in your area, contact the  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline  at  800-662-4357  for information.

Cyberbullying occurs over electronic communication methods like cell phones, computers, social media, and other online platforms. While anyone can be subject to cyberbullying, it is most likely to occur between the ages of 12 and 18.

Cyberbullying can be severe and lead to serious health issues, such as new or worsened mental health disorders, sleep issues, or thoughts of suicide or self-harm. There are laws to prevent cyberbullying, so it's essential to report it when it happens. Coping strategies include stepping away from electronics, blocking bullies, and getting.

Alhajji M, Bass S, Dai T. Cyberbullying, mental health, and violence in adolescents and associations with sex and race: data from the 2015 youth risk behavior survey . Glob Pediatr Health. 2019;6:2333794X19868887. doi:10.1177/2333794X19868887

Cyberbullying Research Center. Cyberbullying in 2021 by age, gender, sexual orientation, and race .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: StopBullying.gov. Facts about bullying .

John A, Glendenning AC, Marchant A, et al. Self-harm, suicidal behaviours, and cyberbullying in children and young people: systematic review .  J Med Internet Res . 2018;20(4):e129. doi:10.2196/jmir.9044

Cyberbullying Research Center. Bullying, cyberbullying, and LGBTQ students .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: StopBullying.gov. Laws, policies, and regulations .

Wolke D, Lee K, Guy A. Cyberbullying: a storm in a teacup? . Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017;26(8):899-908. doi:10.1007/s00787-017-0954-6

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: StopBullying.gov. Cyberbullying tactics .

Garett R, Lord LR, Young SD. Associations between social media and cyberbullying: a review of the literature . mHealth . 2016;2:46-46. doi:10.21037/mhealth.2016.12.01

Nemours Teens Health. Cyberbullying .

Nixon CL. Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health . Adolesc Health Med Ther. 2014;5:143-58. doi:10.2147/AHMT.S36456

Nemours Kids Health. Cyberbullying (for parents) .

By Angelica Bottaro Bottaro has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism. She is based in Canada.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• HHS Author Manuscripts

Cyberbullying and Adolescents

Vidhya lakshmi kumar.

MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

Mark A. Goldstein

Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 175 Cambridge Street, Room 508, Boston, MA 02114

Purpose of Review

Cyberbullying is an aggressive behavior involving a type of electronic communication intending to harm a victim that can have profound effects on adolescents. This review examines the epidemiology, issues from cyberbullying, presentation to care of its victims and proposed interventions to this behavior.

Recent Findings

There are a variety of physical and psychological effects on victims of cyberbullying that can include recurrent abdominal pain, headaches and difficulty with sleep. In addition, victims have higher rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and a lower level of well-being. Unfortunately, victims may remain silent, so screening for cyberbullying is encouraged in a variety of settings. Interventions can be designed at the level of the victim (and perpetrator), family, school and other support networks. Prevention of cyberbullying can be a focus for providers of healthcare.

Cyberbullying can have profound biopsychosocial effects on its victims. There are strategies currently in use and under development to identify and intervene on behalf of those affected by these behaviors.

Introduction

Michelle Carter, age 20, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced in 2017 to prison for her role in the 2014 suicide of her then 18-year-old boyfriend, Conrad Roy Jr. The case against Carter, according to prosecutors, rested on text messages that she sent to Roy that encouraged him to end his life which he did by carbon monoxide poisoning. Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old immigrant from Ireland, committed suicide in 2010 by hanging after bullying online and in school by her peers.

Bullying has been a well-documented phenomenon across the United States and internationally as well. Within Massachusetts, the stories of Michelle Carter, Conrad Roy Jr and Phoebe Prince serve as powerful reminders of the impact of cyberbullying, verbal bullying and intimidation.

Though there is not one standard definition, in the state of Massachusetts, bullying is defined by the Department of Education as “ the severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of: (i) causing physical or emotional harm to the other student or damage to the other student’s property; (ii) placing the other student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or of damage to his property; (iii) creating a hostile environment at school for the other student; (iv) infringing on the rights of the other student at school; or (v) materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school” ( 1 ). It is this electronic expression, in particular, that has catapulted in recent years with the advancement in technology, the ease of communication via social media, as well as the dissemination and access to technology among grade school children and beyond.

Definition of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has evolved in many forms, which has created difficulty in establishing a unified definition that is widely accepted by clinicians. The definition of bullying itself does not easily translate to the cyber arena, but at its core, primarily refers to “an intentional act of aggression, carried out to harm another individual using electronic forms of contacts or devices” ( 2 ). Though initially limited to electronic mail, cyberbullying has slowly begun to incorporate a wider array of forms of electronic communication, ranging from personal blogs, text messaging, video content posted to streaming websites, such as You Tube, and more recently, social media formats including Instagram, SnapChat and TikTok.

Further exacerbating the potential for a severe impact of cyberbullying is access to smartphone technology, the audience involved in cyberbullying efforts, the opportunity for “anonymity by perpetrators,” the “permanency of bullying displays on the internet,” as well as the ability of bullying to occur regardless of distance from the victim and with “minimal constraints on time ( 3 ).” Cyberbullying can take on the following forms: flaming (online fights using electronic messages with angry and vulgar language), harassment, cyber stalking, denigration, impersonation, outing, trickery and exclusion ( 4 ). In the case of Michelle Carter, she used text messages to Conrad Roy to encourage him to end his life.

Epidemiology

Given the lack of consensus on a definition for cyberbullying, it has been difficult to easily quantify its true prevalence in the United States and the global arena. In a small sample of global studies, prevalence of middle and high school cyberbullying ranged from 1–30% for suspected perpetrators, and from 3–72% for suspected victims ( 3 ). The prevalence has been thought to vary due to a multitude of factors including varying definitions for what constitutes an act of cyberbullying, cross-cultural differences in victim reporting, as well as access to technology, which could limit the ability to participate in cyberbullying. Studies available across the U.S. and internationally identify vulnerable populations of adolescents for whom special attention should be made, including females, LGBTQ youth, younger adolescents and youth with disabilities ( 5 , 6 ).

Studies have also demonstrated gender differences in the prevalance of cyberbullying vicitimization, with female adolescents reporting a higher prevalence of victimization (9.4% for single encounter, 13.3% with two or more encounters) than their male counterparts (8.3% for single encounter, 7.8% with two more encounters) ( 7 ). Being bullied is further associated with increased suicidal ideation, delinquency and global psychological distress among both male and female adolescents, though more marked in females and more pronounced with repeated cyberbullying encounters or incidences ( 7 ).

Surveys of cyberbullying victims population further identify a large proportion of youth who identified as a part of the LGBTQ community, as well as youth with disabilities. In a Taiwanese study reviewing 500 homosexual or bisexual men between the ages of 20 and 25, there were reported significant associations between low family support, early coming out and traditional bullying victimization with cyberbullying ( 8 ).

In addition, adolescents and young adults with mental health needs or disabilities have often been targets of cyberbullying efforts. A Chinese study examining associations between cyberbullying and social impairment, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in adolescents with high functioning autism spectrum disorder demonstrated that older adolescents and those with more severe ODD symptoms were more likely to be victims of cyberbullying. The victims of cyberbullying in this population were more likely to report symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and suicidality ( 9 ).

Issues from Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has been associated with a variety of psychological and physical effects on its victims ( Table 1 ) ( 10 – 12 ). Victims of cyberbullying have higher rates of depression when compared to other forms of traditional bullying. In addition, victims may have more anxiety and suicidal ideation compared to peers who do not face victimization ( 3 , 8 ). A varying percentage of cyberbullying victims pursue suicide. Some studies suggest that children and adolescents who are both victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying constitute a distinct group with the highest risk for psychosocial problems, such as depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as for lower levels of well-being in general. Victims of cyberbullying have also shown impacts in their family dynamics and relationships with friends, with many demonstrating increasing isolation and loneliness as well as decreased trust in their support groups ( 13 ). Some studies have indicated that reactions to cyberbullying may depend on the form of media (video vs. text conversation vs. phone calls) with some suggestion that pictures and video were the most negatively impactful on adolescents ( 14 ).

Signs and Symptoms of Cyberbullying ( 10 – 12 )

There have been relatively few studies examining the effect of cyberbullying on adolescents’ physical health. Grade school adolescent cyberbullying victims are often more likely to report somatic symptoms including difficulty sleeping, recurrent non-specific abdominal pain and frequent headaches ( 3 ). However, certain studies indicate that cyberbullies might be better off than victims with some studies finding no relation between the role of perpetrator and depressive symptoms ( 2 ). Other studies have focused on health impact as opposed to specific health problems by examining self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Survey data collected from college students have demonstrated long term impacts on physical health due to pre-college bullying experiences with lower HRQOL, likely mediated through depression ( 15 ). Furthermore, the study proposed that precollege exposure to cyberbullying might have latent effects that could be triggered by future bullying-related traumatization, including reduced confidence in social situations as well as isolation ( 15 ).

In addition, there have been links between cyberbullying and increased risky behaviors including substance abuse across a variety of substances. In a study examining a population of Greek national undergraduates, both male and female late adolescents who were victims of bullying during middle and high school were less likely to use condoms during college years when compared to non-victimized students ( 16 ). Furthermore, men who were bullies or victims of bullying were twice as likely to experience excessive drunkness and three times as likely to pay for sex. In addition, for males, cyberbullies and cybervictims were more likely to report smoking ( 16 ). Compared with traditional bullying, cyberbullying may have a stronger link to substance abuse, with one longitudinal study demonstrating that cyberbullying victimization predicted depression and substance abuse six months later ( 17 ). In addition, both victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying have been linked with increased use of marijuana with an implication that this may be indicative of a larger substance abuse problem among this population ( 18 ). This highlights the emergence of gender specific risks and behaviors associated with cyberbullying that require further evaluation.

The relationship between cyberbullying and an adolescent’s use of the internet has also been explored. A study of 845 adolescents with a median age of 15 years demonstrated that cyberbullying victims were at increased risk for having problematic internet use (PUI), which included a preoccupation with the internet, an inability to control their use of the internet, as well as continued use despite negative consequences ( 19 ). However, it remains unclear whether the increased time spent on the internet is deleterious or protective, as victims may be using the internet as an escape mechanism to mitigate anxiety and reduce negative feelings of isolation. Nevertheless, increased time on the internet by cyberbullying victims does place them at risk for harassment, invasion of privacy and exploitation ( 19 ).

Presentation to Care

Unfortunately, despite the deleterious effects of cyberbullying on a victim’s mental and physical health, many victims remain silent and hesitate to reach out for help. The onus, therefore, remains on others: educators, providers, family members and social supports to recognize common signs and symptoms of cyberbullying. Most often, individuals will notice that such victims begin to avoid school, a primary setting in which they face the effects of cyberbullying. In addition, a large majority of perpetrators may be members of the victim’s school community.

Accordingly, the victim may have increased school absenteeism due to somatic symptoms (frequent stomachaches, headaches, sleeping disruption or nightmares) or academic difficulties due to lack of school attendance or problems with concentration. Victims may demonstrate lower self-esteem, increased depressive symptoms and anxiety with detachment from friends or sudden withdrawal at home or school. On the contrary, these affected youth may show sudden bursts of anger or demonstrate increased self-destructive behaviors, such as cutting, or acts of truancy ( 10 – 12 ). Ultimately, since a victim may not come forward to seek help, it is important that support groups bring the individual to care.

The ability to prevent or intervene in cyberbullying most effectively hinges upon screening to detect and identify victims, as well as perpetrators. There is difficulty in determining the best method to screen for bullying in the medical setting, whether this is in the emergency department or at a primary care visit. Though direct questioning may be effective, studies have posited that it may be more effective to use a questionnaire to elicit accurate responses from patients. The “Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services” form includes screening across a variety of health behaviors and experiences, including bullying ( 20 ). Couching inquiries about bullying in the setting of assessing adolescent behavior may serve to normalize questioning about bullying and in turn allow adolescents to open up to providers about their experiences. These screens can focus on questions such as ( 21 ):

- How often do you get bullied or bully others?

- How long have you been bullied or bullied others?

- Where are you bullied or bully others?

- How are you bullied or how do you bully others?

Screening for cyberbullying should be an important element of adolescent care. Furthermore, screening should not be limited to non-urgent scenarios. Studies have shown that adolescents report exposure to cyberbullying and violence in a variety of urgent medical situations as well, including emergency rooms, inpatient hospital stays and school-based clinics. This underscores the importance screening for cyberbullying during any patient interaction.

Though victims may present to their pediatrician’s office for assistance, often these youth present to the emergency department. These encounters may be due to mental health needs, in the setting of suicidal ideation or attempts at self-harm, previously identified as significant symptomatology in cyberbullying victims. Studies demonstrate that over three quarters of victims of cyberbullying will present to the emergency department with a mental health need as their chief complaint and that more than three quarters of adolescents presenting with suicidal ideation as their chief complaint have endorsed previous incidences of cyberbullying ( 22 ). Cyberbullying was also found to be the strongest predictor of suicidal ideation, while controlling for other important factors, such as age, gender and psychiatric diagnosis ( 22 ). Therefore, it remains important that providers caring for adolescents and young adults presenting with suicidal ideation pointedly ask about bullying and cyberbullying in the patient’s life. In a Canadian population of adolescents, cyberbullying victims were more likely to attempt, or complete suicide compared to those who had not been bullied ( 18 ). It is further postulated that cyberbullying victims may seek help less frequently or underreport incidences compared to those who have been traditionally bullied and that increases their risk of suicidal ideation ( 22 ).

Types of Interventions

Interventions designed to target and mitigate cyberbullying remain as important as attempts to intervene and provide support for victims. These efforts should not solely focus on victims; they should also work with perpetrators. Programs need to reinforce positive values in school age children to reduce the number of cyberbullying perpetrators.

Though these interventions may occur in a multitude of settings, many studies have primarily focused on school-based interventions. This seems appropriate given that a large proportion of cyberbullying incidents take place amongst school classmates. Social support has been shown to be an important buffer when adolescents experience cyberbullying ( 23 ). As previously suggested by the efficacy of school-based interventions, perceived social support from family and teachers has been shown to potentially ameliorate the association between cyberbullying and several outcomes at the psychosocial level. A study of 131 pupils with developmental disorders who had received social support from parents and teachers demonstrated reduced depressive symptoms one year after a cyberbullying experience ( 24 ).

A viable intervention program and cyberbullying prevention mechanism may rely on specific strategies such as improved access to resources, as well as efforts to increase the potential protective effects of social support figures in an adolescent’s life, including family members, friends and teachers ( 2 ). This study in particular suggested that there may be differences between male and female victims as to which form of social support is more efficacious with an implication that girls may benefit more from social supports than their male counterparts ( 2 ). However, the efficacy of social support in preventing cyberbullying or supporting its victims is often contingent upon adolescents seeking help or divulging their victim status.

Some studies suggest that effective interventions focus on enhancing an adolescent’s empathy, promoting positive social relationships with family and decreasing screen time ( 13 ). In particular, given the lack of nonverbal cues inherent in the nature of cyberbullying, it is postulated that adolescents who serve as cyberbullying perpetrators may demonstrate little empathy for their cyber victims. Furthermore, given that poor self-esteem has been shown to be a significant factor among victims and perpetrators alike, both educators and health care providers should focus on an adolescent’s emotional status, particularly with those who seem to demonstrate not only a decline in their self-esteem but also who are showing more troublesome behaviors such as truancy and substance use ( 18 ).

Another potential focus of intervention may hinge on coping strategies for adolescents ( 25 ). Coping strategies are divided into two types: emotion-focused and problem-focused. There are two emotion-based strategies that victims of cyberbullying can utilize: self-control and escape-avoidance. The self-control strategy employs inhibitions of emotional expressions and spontaneous behavior ( 26 ). The desire to regulate emotions brought on by a stressful situation is usually carried out when there is a belief that nothing can be done to change the unfavorable conditions ( 27 ). This may lead to increased avoidance and depression-based coping in a cyberbullying victim’s day-to-day activities with increased depressive symptoms and health complaints.

Problem-focused strategies may be particularly helpful to cyberbullying victims, as they often cannot face (or identify) their aggressor or stand up to the bully ( 28 ). As a result, coping strategies that attempt to either manage or solve the problem may be more beneficial to victims of cyberbullying, motivating them to implement changes, both internally and environmentally. Although there is no one right way to cope, adolescents employing “more approach and problem solving” as opposed to avoidance strategies, and assessing a stressor to be a challenge were shown to have more adaptive outcomes ( 29 ). Such strategies teach the importance of standing up for oneself as well as using methods to not only deal with cyberbullying but manage the daily stress ( 30 ).

A validated tool, such as the Utrecht Coping List for Adolescents, has been a long-standing tool used to help adolescents work through their current emotional coping-based mechanisms and transition to thinking in a more pro-active problem-based fashion. This underscores the importance of both social skills and assertiveness training which inspire victims to adopt more active problem-based strategies, such as telling someone about their bullying or making new friends ( 31 ). These coping strategies, in conjunction with school, peer group and teacher-based efforts to prevent bullying, may bolster the prevention and resiliency efforts currently underway.

Prevention of cyberbullying should be a focus for healthcare providers. Anticipatory guidance remains a cornerstone of the well child and well adolescent visit, and should include strategies conveyed to both patients and their parents on how to identify signs of cyberbullying, In addition, discussion of stigma and myths about cyberbullying should occur. This could include discussions about the use of technology in the home, as well as the best and safest social media practices for the adolescent. Furthermore, taking a history about the signs and symptoms of cyberbullying from caregivers independently of the adolescent may be helpful in determining the patient’s source of distress and to appropriately plan interventions.

A variety of screening tools have been developed ( Table 2 ) that represent the potential to identify victimization as well as serve as an opportunity to respond and intervene ( 32 ). However, these tools address the larger umbrella phenomenon of bullying and are not specific to cyberbullying. Therefore, instruments and tools that can be used adequately to identify victims and aggressors of cyberbullying still remain a large area of need.

Current Bullying Assessment Tools ( 32 )

Many states have responded to the surge of cyberbullying with legislation focusing on prevention, intervention and consequences. In Massachusetts, as a response to the deaths of Phoebe Prince and others, legislation was enacted so that all school staff (including educators, nurses, custodians, athletic coaches, advisors to extracurricular activities, administrators, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and paraprofessionals) must report bullying to the school administration ( 1 ). These individuals are also required to receive training on bullying prevention and intervention ( 1 ). That stated, effective interventions to prevent cyberbullying-related suicide or suicidal ideation have not yet been identified or vetted through research.

Currently, there are a variety of school-based interventions focused on adolescent suicide awareness, typically presented between the ages of 12 and 18. Preventative interventions focus on suicide awareness campaigns or screening as primary preventative measures, or secondary approaches to provide support to those affected by suspected suicides. Some schools have implemented psychologic interventions in those who have already demonstrated attempts at self-harm, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT) and home-based family interventions ( 33 ). However, these services are not routinely available in school systems and their efficacy in identifying cyberbullying victims and pro-actively preventing attempts at suicide are not well understood. Ultimately, though there are school-based interventions in place for suicide awareness, only a few are evidenced-based and there is little to demonstrate the true efficacy of these interventions for preventing suicide and suicide attempts in the adolescent population. Therefore, the adolescent population serves as an untapped area of research into evidence-based interventions and policies, potentially to be extrapolated from other high-risk populations and proven efficacious efforts.

Much of the current literature focuses on an older adolescent population (i.e. high school and undergraduate). It may, therefore, behoove the community to understand the effects of cyberbullying in younger adolescents (less than 12 years of age) and how this may inform prevention efforts. This is a particularly important focus given the ubiquity of technology and internet access in a young child’s life. The large majority of children regularly use the internet ( 17 ). Some studies have demonstrated similarly negative effects on psychological well-being of younger adolescents secondary to cyberbullying victimization, poor self-esteem and decreased peer socialization ( 34 ). The ability to identify these negative effects at a younger age may allow us to build more effective programs and coping strategies at an earlier age to ultimately foster a population of adolescents with increased resiliency and skills to face the stressors of life.

Ultimately, the prevention of cyberbullying rests not only on the shoulders of victims and their families, but on educators, providers and researchers. More focused studies and evaluations of interventions may not only reduce the prevalence of cyberbullying but also lower the mental health sequelae seen in the short and long term. The serious consequences of cyberbullying, particularly surrounding mental health issues and suicidal ideation, underscore the importance of effective and evidence-based bullying prevention programs and support groups in school-based settings. In addition, the multitude of factors associated with victimization in cyber sexuality-related bullying as well should be factored into developing prevention and intervention strategies.

Acknowledgments

Funding information : This paper was funded in part by NIH grant 5 R01 MH103402.

The authors wish to thank Dr. Karen Sadler for reviewing their manuscript.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Publisher's Disclaimer: This Author Accepted Manuscript is a PDF file of a an unedited peer-reviewed manuscript that has been accepted for publication but has not been copyedited or corrected. The official version of record that is published in the journal is kept up to date and so may therefore differ from this version.

Contributor Information

Vidhya Lakshmi Kumar, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School.

Mark A. Goldstein, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 175 Cambridge Street, Room 508, Boston, MA 02114.

• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• Games & Quizzes
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center

Cyberbullying

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

• Frontiers - Cyberbullying Among Adolescents and Children: A Comprehensive Review of the Global Situation, Risk Factors, and Preventive Measures
• Healthline - Everything You Need to Know About Cyberbullying
• Verywell Family - What is Cyberbullying?
• Better Health Channel - Cyberbullying (online bullying)
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Cyberbullying: Hiding behind the screen
• Nemours KidsHealth - For Parents - Cyberbullying
• Pew Research Center - Teens and Cyberbullying 2022
• UNIICEF - Cyberbullying: What is it and how to stop it

In 1768, when Encyclopædia Britannica was first published, there was no telephone , let alone the Internet , to facilitate communication and allow for connections when people were not face-to-face. As we all know today, 250 years later, we can communicate immediately via e-mail , text, or photo and tweet , post, or snap to anyone anywhere in the world, and we can whip out our mobile phones and accomplish this in seconds.

(Read Britannica’s biography of Monica Lewinsky.)

If we could travel back in time and query people of that previous age to imagine what it would be like to have the communication system we now enjoy at our fingertips—like a global connective tissue—my hunch is, the response to this idea would be overwhelmingly positive. And while the birth of the Internet has indeed inspired extraordinarily positive things, the dark underbelly of humanity has also been amplified.

The Internet is still so young, and yet we already have new terms in our lexicon such as “cyberbullying,” “digital resilience,” and the most recent and shocking of all, “ bullycide” (to describe those who have died by suicide as a result of bullying behavior). That bullycides often involve young people—sometimes as young as 9 or 10—is heartbreaking.

The grim statistics on both online and offline bullying—especially among young people—are sobering. A recent survey from the Cyberbullying Research Center found that 34 percent of students in the United States between ages 12 and 17 have been cyberbullied. (U.S. national estimates are roughly 1 in 4 students.) Moreover, 20 percent of suicides of American teens and young adults have ties to bullying-related issues. (Suicides among teenage American girls are currently at a 40-year high.)

Cyberbullying is not, of course, limited to just children and teens. Many adults, in particular vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community, women, minorities, and individuals caught in embarrassing data hacks, have all been targeted. Thirty-eight percent of adults have already been targets of cyberbullying, usually involving either sexist or racist comments.

But how did we get here?

The gulf between how we behave online versus how we behave offline, when we’re face-to-face, is clearly too broad, vast, and deep. Anonymity—the distancing effect of a screen—and depersonalization on the Internet have contributed to an obvious coarsening of our culture. Professor Nicolaus Mills of Sarah Lawrence College coined the phrase “a culture of humiliation,” which helps define this shift in our society. Sadly, we began to place more and more value, monetary and otherwise, on humiliation and shame—both of which are core experiences of being bullied. We’ve seen this shift in the news and entertainment we consume; as a result, we have a compassion deficit that’s reflected in the vitriol we now see online. There is also ample evidence of what psychologist John Suler has identified as the Online Disinhibition Effect: we escape online into a world where we’re disconnected from our true selves and our true compass. Our online behavior distances us from our normal personalities and encourages us to develop different personas—one only has to observe the myriad of online usernames that range from the fanciful to the outright frightening to know this is true.

I experienced this chasm and dehumanizing effect firsthand in 1998, after I became the focus of independent counsel Kenneth Starr ’s investigation. I instantly, overnight and worldwide, became a publicly known person and Patient Zero of Internet shaming, losing my digital reputation in the process. As I recounted in my TED talk, I was suddenly seen by many but actually known by few. It was so easy to forget that I, “ that woman,” was also dimensional, had a soul, and was once unbroken. Surprisingly, I can’t count how many times people have said hurtful and hateful things to me online in the past 20 years, but I can count—on just one or two hands—the times people have actually been cruel to my face.

Internet shaming and bullying are not just endemic in the United States. I have traveled to numerous countries around the world to speak publicly (and to learn) about this social crisis. In the United Kingdom, Childline, which is a youth hotline operated by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, reported that the number of young people experiencing cyberbullying rose 88 percent between 2011 and 2016; in 2015–16 alone, it conducted more than 24,000 counseling sessions with children dealing with bullying-related issues. According to a study by the National Centre for Social Research in 2011, more than 16,000 British students, ages 11–15, cited bullying as the main reason they were absent from school, and nearly 78,000 cited it as a reason. The National Centre Against Bullying in Australia reports that 1 in 10 school kids are cyberbullied every few weeks, and in Canada nearly 1 in 5 young Canadians have reportedly been cyberbullied or cyberstalked. I’ve seen sobering statistics and heard similar stories elsewhere, throughout Europe and India as well.

There is, however, light beyond this darkness. I believe we are approaching a time in history similar to when the first mass-produced automobiles transformed the world. As I argued in a piece for Vanity Fair (2014), “When the horse and buggy were replaced with the Model T , there were few rules of the road. Ultimately, we devised stricter regulations on which everyone could agree. Speed limits. Stop signs. And double yellow lines that were not to be crossed.” So eventually, society caught up to this new technology and coalesced around the idea of needing safer ways to navigate daily life. I hope we are approaching that moment with the Internet.

In the interim, we can begin to shift the norms by being “Upstanders.” Instead of bystander apathy, stand up for someone online, report a bullying situation, or reach out to a target of bullying after the fact to let him or her know that someone witnessed what happened and is there for help or support. We can also continue the public discourse on this issue, which sheds a light on this crisis. We must find a way to support and heal the victims and call out the perpetrators and rehabilitate them.

[The archbishop of Canterbury believes that reconciliation is a more urgent challenge than security.]

We have addressed and fixed a myriad of social problems that have vexed our society in the past. Through a combination of the social values of compassion and empathy married with increasing advances in technology, we can do so again. It’s time for the digerati of our online communities to step up and design tools to eradicate this social epidemic that is literally killing our young and affecting us all. Let’s never forget that we can build a society where the sometimes distancing effect of technology doesn’t remove our fundamental humanity .

This essay was originally published in 2018 in Encyclopædia Britannica Anniversary Edition: 250 Years of Excellence (1768–2018).

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Cyberbullying among adolescents and children: a comprehensive review of the global situation, risk factors, and preventive measures.

• 1 School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
• 2 School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
• 3 College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom

Background: Cyberbullying is well-recognized as a severe public health issue which affects both adolescents and children. Most extant studies have focused on national and regional effects of cyberbullying, with few examining the global perspective of cyberbullying. This systematic review comprehensively examines the global situation, risk factors, and preventive measures taken worldwide to fight cyberbullying among adolescents and children.

Methods: A systematic review of available literature was completed following PRISMA guidelines using the search themes “cyberbullying” and “adolescent or children”; the time frame was from January 1st, 2015 to December 31st, 2019. Eight academic databases pertaining to public health, and communication and psychology were consulted, namely: Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Communication & Mass Media Complete, CINAHL, and PsycArticles. Additional records identified through other sources included the references of reviews and two websites, Cyberbullying Research Center and United Nations Children's Fund. A total of 63 studies out of 2070 were included in our final review focusing on cyberbullying prevalence and risk factors.

Results: The prevalence rates of cyberbullying preparation ranged from 6.0 to 46.3%, while the rates of cyberbullying victimization ranged from 13.99 to 57.5%, based on 63 references. Verbal violence was the most common type of cyberbullying. Fourteen risk factors and three protective factors were revealed in this study. At the personal level, variables associated with cyberbullying including age, gender, online behavior, race, health condition, past experience of victimization, and impulsiveness were reviewed as risk factors. Likewise, at the situational level, parent-child relationship, interpersonal relationships, and geographical location were also reviewed in relation to cyberbullying. As for protective factors, empathy and emotional intelligence, parent-child relationship, and school climate were frequently mentioned.

Conclusion: The prevalence rate of cyberbullying has increased significantly in the observed 5-year period, and it is imperative that researchers from low and middle income countries focus sufficient attention on cyberbullying of children and adolescents. Despite a lack of scientific intervention research on cyberbullying, the review also identified several promising strategies for its prevention from the perspectives of youths, parents and schools. More research on cyberbullying is needed, especially on the issue of cross-national cyberbullying. International cooperation, multi-pronged and systematic approaches are highly encouraged to deal with cyberbullying.

Introduction

Childhood and adolescence are not only periods of growth, but also of emerging risk taking. Young people during these periods are particularly vulnerable and cannot fully understand the connection between behaviors and consequences ( 1 ). With peer pressures, the heat of passion, children and adolescents usually perform worse than adults when people are required to maintain self-discipline to achieve good results in unfamiliar situations. Impulsiveness, sensation seeking, thrill seeking, and other individual differences cause adolescents to risk rejecting standardized risk interventions ( 2 ).

About one-third of Internet users in the world are children and adolescents under the age of 18 ( 3 ). Digital technology provide a new form of interpersonal communication ( 4 ). However, surveys and news reports also show another picture in the Internet Age. The dark side of young people's internet usage is that they may bully or suffer from others' bullying in cyberspace. This behavior is also acknowledged as cyberbullying ( 5 ). Based on Olweus's definition, cyberbullying is usually regarded as bullying implemented through electronic media ( 6 , 7 ). Specifically, cyberbullying among children and adolescents can be summarized as the intentional and repeated harm from one or more peers that occurs in cyberspace caused by the use of computers, smartphones and other devices ( 4 , 8 – 12 ). In recent years, new forms of cyberbullying behaviors have emerged, such as cyberstalking and online dating abuse ( 13 – 15 ).

Although cyberbullying is still a relatively new field of research, cyberbullying among adolescents is considered to be a serious public health issue that is closely related to adolescents' behavior, mental health and development ( 16 , 17 ). The increasing rate of Internet adoption worldwide and the popularity of social media platforms among the young people have worsened this situation with most children and adolescents experiencing cyberbullying or online victimization during their lives. The confines of space and time are alleviated for bullies in virtual environments, creating new venues for cyberbullying with no geographical boundaries ( 6 ). Cyberbullying exerts negative effects on many aspects of young people's lives, including personal privacy invasion and psychological disorders. The influence of cyberbullying may be worse than traditional bullying as perpetrators can act anonymously and connect easily with children and adolescents at any time ( 18 ). In comparison with traditional victims, those bullied online show greater levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness ( 19 ). Self-esteem problems and school absenteeism have also proven to be related to cyberbullying ( 20 ).

Due to changes in use and behavioral patterns among the youth on social media, the manifestations and risk factors of cyberbullying have faced significant transformation. Further, as the boundaries of cyberbullying are not limited by geography, cyberbullying may not be a problem contained within a single country. In this sense, cyberbullying is a global problem and tackling it requires greater international collaboration. The adverse effects caused by cyberbullying, including reduced safety, lower educational attainment, poorer mental health and greater unhappiness, led UNICEF to state that “no child is absolutely safe in the digital world” ( 3 ).

Extant research has examined the prevalence and risk factors of cyberbullying to unravel the complexity of cyberbullying across different countries and their corresponding causes. However, due to variations in cyberbullying measurement and methodologies, no consistent conclusions have been drawn ( 21 ). Studies into inconsistencies in prevalence rates of cyberbullying, measured in the same country during the same time period, occur frequently. Selkie et al. systematically reviewed cyberbullying among American middle and high school students aged 10–19 years old in 2015, and revealed that the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization ranged from 3 to 72%, while perpetration ranged from 1 to 41% ( 22 ). Risk and protective factors have also been broadly studied, but confirmation is still needed of those factors which have more significant effects on cyberbullying among young people. Clarification of these issues would be useful to allow further research to recognize cyberbullying more accurately.

This review aims to extend prior contributions and provide a comprehensive review of cyberbullying of children and adolescents from a global perspective, with the focus being on prevalence, associated risk factors and protective factors across countries. It is necessary to provide a global panorama based on research syntheses to fill the gaps in knowledge on this topic.

Search Strategies

This study strictly employed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We consulted eight academic databases pertaining to public health, and communication and psychology, namely: Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Communication & Mass Media Complete, CINAHL, and PsycArticles. Additional records identified through other sources included the references of reviews and two websites, Cyberbullying Research Center and United Nations Children's Fund. With regard to the duration of our review, since most studies on cyberbullying arose around 2015 ( 9 , 21 ), this study highlights the complementary aspects of the available information about cyberbullying during the recent 5 year period from January 1st, 2015 to December 31st, 2019.

One researcher extracted keywords and two researchers proposed modifications. We used two sets of subject terms to review articles, “cyberbullying” and “child OR adolescent.” Some keywords that refer to cyberbullying behaviors and young people are also included, such as threat, harass, intimidate, abuse, insult, humiliate, condemn, isolate, embarrass, forgery, slander, flame, stalk, manhunt, as well as teen, youth, young people and student. The search formula is (cyberbullying OR cyber-bullying OR cyber-aggression OR ((cyber OR online OR electronic OR Internet) AND (bully * OR aggres * OR violence OR perpetrat * OR victim * OR threat * OR harass * OR intimidat * OR * OR insult * OR humiliate * OR condemn * OR isolate * OR embarrass * OR forgery OR slander * OR flame OR stalk * OR manhunt))) AND (adolescen * OR child OR children OR teen? OR teenager? OR youth? OR “young people” OR “elementary school student * ” OR “middle school student * ” OR “high school student * ”). The main search approach is title search. Search strategies varied according to the database consulted, and we did not limit the type of literature for inclusion. Journals, conference papers and dissertations are all available.

Specifically, the inclusion criteria for our study were as follows: (a). reported or evaluated the prevalence and possible risk factors associated with cyberbullying, (b). respondents were students under the age of 18 or in primary, junior or senior high schools, and (c). studies were written in English. Exclusion criteria were: (a). respondents came from specific groups, such as clinical samples, children with disabilities, sexual minorities, specific ethnic groups, specific faith groups or samples with cross-national background, (b). review studies, qualitative studies, conceptual studies, book reviews, news reports or abstracts of meetings, and (c). studies focused solely on preventive measures that were usually meta-analytic and qualitative in nature. Figure 1 presents the details of the employed screening process, showing that a total of 63 studies out of 2070 were included in our final review.

Figure 1 . PRISMA flow chart diagram showing the process of study selection for inclusion in the systematic review on children and adolescents cyberbullying.

Meta-analysis was not conducted as the limited research published within the 5 years revealed little research which reported odds ratio. On the other hand, due to the inconsistency of concepts, measuring instruments and recall periods, considerable variation could be found in research quality ( 23 ). Meta-analysis is not a preferred method.

Coding Scheme

For coding, we created a comprehensive code scheme to include the characteristics. For cyberbullying, we coded five types proposed by Willard ( 24 – 26 ), which included verbal violence, group violence, visual violence, impersonating and account forgery, and other behaviors. Among them, verbal violence is considered one of the most common types of cyberbullying and refers to the behavior of offensive responses, insults, mocking, threats, slander, and harassment. Group violence is associated with preventing others from joining certain groups or isolating others, forcing others to leave the group. Visual violence relates to the release and sharing of embarrassing photos and information without the owners' consent. Impersonating and account forgery refers to identity theft, stealing passwords, violating accounts and the creation of fake accounts to fraudulently present the behavior of others. Other behaviors include disclosure of privacy, sexual harassment, and cyberstalking. To comprehensively examine cyberbullying, we coded cyberbullying behaviors from both the perspectives of cyberbullying perpetrators and victims, if mentioned in the studies.

In relation to risk factors, we drew insights from the general aggression model, which contributes to the understanding of personal and situational factors in the cyberbullying of children and adolescents. We chose the general aggression model because (a) it contains more situational factors than other models (e.g., social ecological models) - such as school climate ( 9 ), and (b) we believe that the general aggression model is more suitable for helping researchers conduct a systematic review of cyberbullying risk and protective factors. This model provides a comprehensive framework that integrates domain specific theories of aggression, and has been widely applied in cyberbullying research ( 27 ). For instance, Kowalski and colleagues proposed a cyberbullying encounter through the general aggression model to understand the formation and development process of youth cyberbullying related to both victimization and perpetration ( 9 ). Victims and perpetrators enter the cyberbullying encounter with various individual characteristics, experiences, attitudes, desires, personalities, and motives that intersect to determine the course of the interaction. Correspondingly, the antecedents pertaining to cyberbullying are divided into two broad categories, personal factors and situational factors. Personal factors refer to individual characteristics, such as gender, age, motivation, personality, psychological states, socioeconomic status and technology use, values and perceptions, and other maladaptive behaviors. Situational factors focus on the provocation/support, parental involvement, school climate, and perceived anonymity. Consequently, our coders related to risk factors consisting of personal factors and situational factors from the perspectives of both cyberbullying perpetrators and victims.

We extracted information relating to individual papers and sample characteristics, including authors, year of publication, country, article type, sampling procedures, sample characteristics, measures of cyberbullying, and prevalence and risk factors from both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization perspectives. The key words extraction and coding work were performed twice by two trained research assistants in health informatics. The consistency test results are as follows: the Kappa value with “personal factors” was 0.932, and the Kappa value with “situational factors” was 0.807. The result shows that the coding consistency was high enough and acceptable. Disagreements were resolved through discussion with other authors.

Quality Assessment of Studies

The quality assessment of the studies is based on the recommended tool for assessing risk of bias, Cochrane Collaboration. This quality assessment tool focused on seven items: random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding of participants and personnel, blinding of outcome assessment, incomplete outcome data, selective reporting, and other sources of bias ( 28 ). We assessed each item as “low risk,” “high risk,” and “unclear” for included studies. A study is considered of “high quality” when it meets three or more “low risk” requirements. When one or more main flaw of a study may affect the research results, the study is considered as “low quality.” When a lack of information leads to a difficult judgement, the quality is considered to be “unclear.” Please refer to Appendix 1 for more details.

This comprehensive systematic review comprised a total of 63 studies. Appendices 2 , 3 show the descriptive information of the studies included. Among them, 58 (92%) studies measured two or more cyberbullying behavior types. The sample sizes of the youths range from several hundred to tens of thousands, with one thousand to five thousand being the most common. As for study distribution, the United States of America, Spain and China were most frequently mentioned. Table 1 presents the detail.

Table 1 . Descriptive information of studies included (2015–2019).

Prevalence of Global Cyberbullying

Prevalence across countries.

Among the 63 studies included, 22 studies reported on cyberbullying prevalence and 20 studies reported on prevalence from victimization and perpetration perspectives, respectively. Among the 20 studies, 11 national studies indicated that the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration ranged from 14.6 to 52.2% and 6.3 to 32%, respectively. These studies were conducted in the United States of America ( N = 4) ( 29 – 32 ), South Korea ( N = 3) ( 33 – 35 ), Singapore ( N = 1) ( 36 ), Malaysia ( N = 1) ( 37 ), Israel ( N = 1) ( 38 ), and Canada ( N = 1) ( 39 ). Only one of these 11 national studies is from an upper middle income country, and the rest are from highincome countries identified by the World Bank ( 40 ). By combining regional and community-level studies, the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration ranged from 13.99 to 57.5% and 6.0 to 46.3%, respectively. Spain reported the highest prevalence of cyberbullying victimization (57.5%) ( 41 ), followed by Malaysia (52.2%) ( 37 ), Israel (45%) ( 42 ), and China (44.5%) ( 43 ). The lowest reported victim rates were observed in Canada (13.99%) and South Korea (14.6%) ( 34 , 39 ). The reported prevalence of cyberbullying victimization in the United States of America ranged from 15.5 to 31.4% ( 29 , 44 ), while in Israel, rates ranged from 30 to 45% ( 26 , 42 ). In China, rates ranged from 6 to 46.3% with the country showing the highest prevalence of cyberbullying perpetration (46.30%) ( 15 , 43 , 45 , 46 ). Canadian and South Korean studies reported the lowest prevalence of cyberbullying perpetration at 7.99 and 6.3%, respectively ( 34 , 39 ).

A total of 10 studies were assessed as high quality studies. Among them, six studies came from high income countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and South Korea ( 13 , 34 , 39 , 46 – 48 ). Three studies were from upper middle income countries, including Malaysia and China ( 37 , 43 ) and one from a lower middle income country, Nigeria ( 49 ). Figures 2 , 3 describe the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration respectively among high quality studies.

Figure 2 . The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization of high quality studies.

Figure 3 . The prevalence of cyberbullying perpetration of high quality studies.

Prevalence of Various Cyberbullying Behaviors

For the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, the data were reported in 18 and 14 studies, respectively. Figure 4 shows the distribution characteristics of the estimated value of prevalence of different cyberbullying behaviors with box plots. The longer the box, the greater the degree of variation of the numerical data and vice versa. The rate of victimization and crime of verbal violence, as well as the rate of victimization of other behaviors, such as cyberstalking and digital dating abuse, has a large degree of variation. Among the four specified types of cyberbullying behaviors, verbal violence was regarded as the most commonly reported behaviors in both perpetration and victimization rates, with a wide range of prevalence, ranging from 5 to 18%. Fewer studies reported the prevalence data for visual violence and group violence. Studies also showed that the prevalence of impersonation and account forgery were within a comparatively small scale. Specific results were as follows.

Figure 4 . Cyberbullying prevalence across types (2015–2019).

Verbal Violence

A total of 13 studies reported verbal violence prevalence data ( 15 , 26 , 34 , 37 – 39 , 42 , 43 , 47 , 48 , 50 , 51 ). Ten studies reported the prevalence of verbal violence victimization ranging from 2.8 to 47.5%, while seven studies claimed perpetration prevalence ranging from 1.5 to 31.8%. Malaysia reported the highest prevalence of verbal violence victimization (47.5%) ( 37 ), followed by China (32%) ( 43 ). China reported that the prevalence of verbal violence victimization ranged from 5.1 to 32% ( 15 , 43 ). Israel reported that the prevalence of verbal violence victimization ranged from 3.4 to 18% ( 26 , 38 , 42 ). For perpetration rate, Malaysia reported the highest level at 31.8% ( 37 ), while a study for Spain reported the lowest, ranging from 3.2 to 6.4% ( 51 ).

Group Violence

The prevalence of group violence victimization was explored within 4 studies and ranged from 5 to 17.8% ( 26 , 34 , 42 , 43 ), while perpetration prevalence was reported in three studies, ranging from 10.1 to 19.07% ( 34 , 43 , 47 ). An Israeli study suggested that 9.8% of respondents had been excluded from the Internet, while 8.9% had been refused entry to a group or team ( 26 ). A study in South Korea argued that the perpetration prevalence of group violence was 10.1% ( 34 ), while a study in Italy reported that the rate of online group violence against others was 19.07% ( 47 ).

Visual Violence

The prevalence of visual violence victimization was explored within three studies and ranged from 2.6 to 12.1% ( 26 , 34 , 43 ), while the perpetration prevalence reported in four studies ranged from 1.7 to 6% ( 34 , 43 , 47 , 48 ). For victimization prevalence, a South Korean study found that 12.1% of respondents reported that their personal information was leaked online ( 34 ). An Israel study reported that the prevalence of outing the picture was 2.6% ( 26 ). For perpetration prevalence, a South Korean study found that 1.7% of respondents had reported that they had disclosed someone's personal information online ( 34 ). A German study reported that 6% of respondents had written a message (e.g., an email) to somebody using a fake identity ( 48 ).

Impersonating and Account Forgery

Four studies reported on the victimization prevalence of impersonating and account forgery, ranging from 1.1 to 10% ( 15 , 42 , 43 ), while five studies reported on perpetration prevalence, with the range being from 1.3 to 9.31% ( 15 , 43 , 47 , 48 , 51 ). In a Spanish study, 10% of respondents reported that their accounts had been infringed by others or that they could not access their account due to stolen passwords. In contrast, 4.5% of respondents reported that they had infringed other people's accounts or stolen passwords, with 2.5% stating that they had forged other people's accounts ( 51 ). An Israeli study reported that the prevalence of being impersonated was 7% ( 42 ), while in China, a study reported this to be 8.6% ( 43 ). Another study from China found that 1.1% of respondents had been impersonated to send dating-for-money messages ( 15 ).

Other Behaviors

The prevalence of disclosure of privacy, sexual harassment, and cyberstalking were also explored by scholars. Six studies reported the victimization prevalence of other cyberbullying behaviors ( 13 , 15 , 34 , 37 , 42 , 43 ), and four studies reported on perpetration prevalence ( 34 , 37 , 43 , 48 ). A study in China found that 1.2% of respondents reported that their privacy had been compromised without permission due to disputes ( 15 ). A study from China reported the prevalence of cyberstalking victimization was 11.9% ( 43 ), while a Portuguese study reported that this was 62% ( 13 ). In terms of perpetration prevalence, a Malaysian study reported 2.7% for sexual harassment ( 37 ).

Risk and Protective Factors of Cyberbullying

In terms of the risk factors associated with cyberbullying among children and adolescents, this comprehensive review highlighted both personal and situational factors. Personal factors referred to age, gender, online behavior, race, health conditions, past experiences of victimization, and impulsiveness, while situational factors consisted of parent-child relationship, interpersonal relationships, and geographical location. In addition, protective factors against cyberbullying included: empathy and emotional intelligence, parent-child relationship, and school climate. Table 2 shows the risk and protective factors for child and adolescent cyberbullying.

Table 2 . Risk and protective factors of cyberbullying among children and adolescents.

In terms of the risk factors associated with cyberbullying victimization at the personal level, many studies evidenced that females were more likely to be cyberbullied than males ( 13 , 26 , 29 , 38 , 43 , 52 , 54 , 55 , 58 ). Meanwhile, adolescents with mental health problems ( 61 ), such as depression ( 33 , 62 ), borderline personality disorder ( 63 ), eating disorders ( 41 ), sleep deprivation ( 56 ), and suicidal thoughts and suicide plans ( 64 ), were more likely to be associated with cyberbullying victimization. As for Internet usage, researchers agreed that youth victims were probably those that spent more time online than their counterparts ( 32 , 36 , 43 , 45 , 48 , 49 , 60 ). For situational risk factors, some studies have proven the relationship between cyberbullying victims and parental abuse, parental neglect, family dysfunction, inadequate monitoring, and parents' inconsistency in mediation, as well as communication issues ( 33 , 64 , 68 , 73 ). In terms of geographical location, some studies have reported that youths residing in city locations are more likely to be victims of cyberbullying than their peers from suburban areas ( 61 ).

Regarding the risk factors of cyberbullying perpetration at the personal level, it is generally believed that older teenagers, especially those aged over 15 years, are at greater risk of becoming cyberbullying perpetrators ( 55 , 67 ). When considering prior cyberbullying experiences, evidence showed that individuals who had experienced cyberbullying or face-to-face bullying tended to be aggressors in cyberbullying ( 35 , 42 , 49 , 51 , 55 ); in addition, the relationship between impulsiveness and cyberbullying perpetration was also explored by several pioneering scholars ( 55 , 72 , 80 ). The situational factors highlight the role of parents and teachers in cyberbullying experiences. For example, over-control and authoritarian parenting styles, as well as inharmonious teacher-student relationships ( 61 ) are perceived to lead to cyberbullying behaviors ( 74 , 75 ). In terms of differences in geographical locations, students residing in cities have a higher rate of online harassment than students living in more rural locations ( 49 ).

In terms of the protective factors in child and adolescent cyberbullying, scholars have focused on youths who have limited experiences of cyberbullying. At the personal level, high emotional intelligence, an ability for emotional self-control and empathy, such as cognitive empathy ability ( 44 , 55 ), were associated with lower rates of cyberbullying ( 57 ). At the situational level, a parent's role is seen as critical. For example, intimate parent-child relationships ( 46 ) and open active communication ( 19 ) were demonstrated to be related to lower experiences of cyberbullying and perpetration. Some scholars argued that parental supervision and monitoring of children's online activities can reduce their tendency to participate in some negative activities associated with cyberbullying ( 31 , 46 , 73 ). They further claimed that an authoritative parental style protects youths against cyberbullying ( 43 ). Conversely, another string of studies evidenced that parents' supervision of Internet usage was meaningless ( 45 ). In addition to conflicting roles of parental supervision, researchers have also looked into the role of schools, and posited that positive school climates contribute to less cyberbullying experiences ( 61 , 79 ).

Some risk factors may be protective factors under another condition. Some studies suggest that parental aggressive communication is related to severe cyberbullying victims, while open communication is a potential protective factor ( 19 ). Parental neglect, parental abuse, parental inconsistency in supervision of adolescents' online behavior, and family dysfunction are related to the direct or indirect harm of cyberbullying ( 33 , 68 ). Parental participation, a good parental-children relationship, communication and dialogue can enhance children's school adaptability and prevent cyberbullying behaviors ( 31 , 74 ). When parental monitoring reaches a balance between control and openness, it could become a protective factor against cyberbullying, and it could be a risk factor, if parental monitoring is too low or over-controlled ( 47 ).

Despite frequent discussion about the risk factors associated with cyberbullying among children and adolescents, some are still deemed controversial factors, such as age, race, gender, and the frequency of suffering on the internet. For cyberbullying victims, some studies claim that older teenagers are more vulnerable to cyberbullying ( 15 , 38 , 52 , 53 ), while other studies found conflicting results ( 26 , 33 ). As for student race, Alhajji et al. argued that non-white students were less likely to report cyberbullying ( 29 ), while Morin et al. observed no significant correlation between race and cyberbullying ( 52 ). For cyberbullying perpetration, Alvarez-Garcia found that gender differences may have indirect effects on cyberbullying perpetration ( 55 ), while others disagreed ( 42 , 61 , 68 – 70 ). Specifically, some studies revealed that males were more likely to become cyberbullying perpetrators ( 34 , 39 , 56 ), while Khurana et al. presented an opposite point of view, proposing that females were more likely to attack others ( 71 ). In terms of time spent on the Internet, some claimed that students who frequently surf the Internet had a higher chance of becoming perpetrators ( 49 ), while others stated that there was no clear and direct association between Internet usage and cyberbullying perpetration ( 55 ).

In addition to personal and situational factors, scholars have also explored other specific factors pertaining to cyberbullying risk and protection. For instance, mindfulness and depression were found to be significantly related to cyber perpetration ( 76 ), while eating disorder psychopathology in adolescents was associated with cyber victimization ( 41 ). For males who were familiar with their victims, such as family members, friends and acquaintances, they were more likely to be cyberstalking perpetrators than females or strangers, while pursuing desired closer relationships ( 13 ). In the school context, a lower social likability in class was identified as an indirect factor for cyberbullying ( 48 ).

This comprehensive review has established that the prevalence of global childhood and adolescent victimization from cyberbullying ranges from 13.99 to 57.5%, and that the perpetration prevalence ranges from 6.0 to 46.3%. Across the studies included in our research, verbal violence is observed as one of the most common acts of cyberbullying, including verbal offensive responses, insults, mocking, threats, slander, and harassment. The victimization prevalence of verbal violence is reported to be between 5 and 47.5%, and the perpetration prevalence is between 3.2 and 26.1%. Personal factors, such as gender, frequent use of social media platforms, depression, borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, sleep deprivation, and suicidal tendencies, were generally considered to be related to becoming a cyberbullying victim. Personal factors, such as high school students, past experiences, impulse, improperly controlled family education, poor teacher-student relationships, and the urban environment, were considered risk factors for cyberbullying perpetration. Situational factors, including parental abuse and neglect, improper monitoring, communication barriers between parents and children, as well as the urban environment, were also seen to potentially contribute to higher risks of both cyberbullying victimization and perpetration.

Increasing Prevalence of Global Cyberbullying With Changing Social Media Landscape and Measurement Alterations

This comprehensive review suggests that global cyberbullying rates, in terms of victimization and perpetration, were on the rise during the 5 year period, from 2015 to 2019. For example, in an earlier study conducted by Modecki et al. the average cyberbullying involvement rate was 15% ( 81 ). Similar observations were made by Hamm et al. who found that the median rates of youth having experienced bullying or who had bullied others online, was 23 and 15.2%, respectively ( 82 ). However, our systematic review summarized global children and adolescents cyberbullying in the last 5 years and revealed an average cyberbullying perpetration rate of 25.03%, ranging from 6.0 to 46.3%, while the average victimization was 33.08%, ranging from 13.99 to 57.5%. The underlying reason for increases may be attributed to the rapid changing landscape of social media and, in recent years, the drastic increase in Internet penetration rates. With the rise in Internet access, youths have greater opportunities to participate in online activities, provided by emerging social media platforms.

Although our review aims to provide a broader picture of cyberbullying, it is well-noted in extant research that difficulties exist in accurately estimating variations in prevalence in different countries ( 23 , 83 ). Many reasons exist to explain this. The first largely relates poor or unclear definition of the term cyberbullying; this hinders the determination of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration ( 84 ). Although traditional bullying behavior is well-defined, the definition cannot directly be applied to the virtual environment due to the complexity in changing online interactions. Without consensus on definitions, measurement and cyberbullying types may vary noticeably ( 83 , 85 ). Secondly, the estimation of prevalence of cyberbullying is heavily affected by research methods, such as recall period (lifetime, last year, last 6 months, last month, or last week etc.), demographic characteristics of the survey sample (age, gender, race, etc.), perspectives of cyberbullying experiences (victims, perpetrators, or both victim and perpetrator), and instruments (scales, study-specific questions) ( 23 , 84 , 86 ). The variety in research tools and instruments used to assess the prevalence of cyberbullying can cause confusion on this issue ( 84 ). Thirdly, variations in economic development, cultural backgrounds, human values, internet penetration rates, and frequency of using social media may lead to different conclusions across countries ( 87 ).

Acknowledging the Conflicting Role of the Identified Risk Factors With More Research Needed to Establish the Causality

Although this review has identified many personal and situational factors associated with cyberbullying, the majority of studies adopted a cross-sectional design and failed to reveal the causality ( 21 ). Nevertheless, knowledge on these correlational relationships provide valuable insights for understanding and preventing cyberbullying incidents. In terms of gender differences, females are believed to be at a higher risk of cyberbullying victimization compared to males. Two reasons may help to explain this. First, the preferred violence behaviors between two genders. females prefer indirect harassment, such as the spreading of rumors, while males tend toward direct bullying (e.g., assault) ( 29 ) and second, the cultural factors. From the traditional gender perspective, females tended to perceive a greater risk of communicating with others on the Internet, while males were more reluctant to express fear, vulnerability and insecurity when asked about their cyberbullying experiences ( 46 ). Females were more intolerant when experiencing cyberstalking and were more likely to report victimization experiences than males ( 13 ). Meanwhile, many researchers suggested that females are frequent users of emerging digital communication platforms, which increases their risk of unpleasant interpersonal contact and violence. From the perspective of cultural norms and masculinity, the reporting of cyberbullying is also widely acknowledged ( 37 ). For example, in addition, engaging in online activities is also regarded as a critical predictor for cyberbullying victimization. Enabled by the Internet, youths can easily find potential victims and start harassment at any time ( 49 ). Participating in online activities directly increases the chance of experiencing cyberbullying victimization and the possibility of becoming a victim ( 36 , 45 ). As for age, earlier involvement on social media and instant messaging tools may increase the chances of experiencing cyberbullying. For example, in Spain, these tools cannot be used without parental permission before the age of 14 ( 55 ). Besides, senior students were more likely to be more impulsive and less sympathetic. They may portray more aggressive and anti-social behaviors ( 55 , 72 ); hence senior students and students with higher impulsivity were usually more likely to become cyberbullying perpetrators.

Past experiences of victimization and family-related factors are another risk for cyberbullying crime. As for past experiences, one possible explanation is that young people who had experienced online or traditional school bullying may commit cyberbullying using e-mails, instant messages, and text messages for revenge, self-protection, or improving their social status ( 35 , 42 , 49 , 55 ). In becoming a cyberbullying perpetrator, the student may feel more powerful and superior, externalizing angry feelings and relieving the feelings of helplessness and sadness produced by past victimization experiences ( 51 ). As for family related factors, parenting styles are proven to be highly correlated to cyberbullying. In authoritative families, parents focus on rational behavioral control with clear rules and a high component of supervision and parental warmth, which have beneficial effects on children's lifestyles ( 43 ). Conversely, in indulgent families, children's behaviors are not heavily restricted and parents guide and encourage their children to adapt to society. The characteristics of this indulgent style, including parental support, positive communication, low imposition, and emotional expressiveness, possibly contribute to more parent-child trust and less misunderstanding ( 75 ). The protective role of warmth/affection and appropriate supervision, which are common features of authoritative or indulgent parenting styles, mitigate youth engagement in cyberbullying. On the contrary, authoritarian and neglectful styles, whether with excessive or insufficient control, are both proven to be risk factors for being a target of cyberbullying ( 33 , 76 ). In terms of geographical location, although several studies found that children residing in urban areas were more likely to be cyberbullying victims than those living in rural or suburban areas, we cannot draw a quick conclusion here, since whether this difference attributes to macro-level differences, such as community safety or socioeconomic status, or micro-level differences, such as teacher intervention in the classroom, courses provided, teacher-student ratio, is unclear across studies ( 61 ). An alternative explanation for this is the higher internet usage rate in urban areas ( 49 ).

Regarding health conditions, especially mental health, some scholars believe that young people with health problems are more likely to be identified as victims than people without health problems. They perceive health condition as a risk factor for cyberbullying ( 61 , 63 ). On the other hand, another group of scholars believe that cyberbullying has an important impact on the mental health of adolescents which can cause psychological distress consequences, such as post-traumatic stress mental disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, and drug abuse ( 70 , 87 ). It is highly possible that mental health could be risk factors, consequences of cyberbullying or both. Mental health cannot be used as standards, requirements, or decisive responses in cyberbullying research ( 13 ).

The Joint Effort Between Youth, Parents, Schools, and Communities to Form a Cyberbullying-Free Environment

This comprehensive review suggests that protecting children and adolescents from cyberbullying requires joint efforts between individuals, parents, schools, and communities, to form a cyberbullying-free environment. For individuals, young people are expected to improve their digital technology capabilities, especially in the use of social media platforms and instant messaging tools ( 55 ). To reduce the number of cyberbullying perpetrators, it is necessary to cultivate emotional self-regulation ability through appropriate emotional management training. Moreover, teachers, counselors, and parents are required to be armed with sufficient knowledge of emotional management and to develop emotional management capabilities and skills. In this way, they can be alert to the aggressive or angry emotions expressed by young people, and help them mediate any negative emotions ( 45 ), and avoid further anti-social behaviors ( 57 ).

For parents, styles of parenting involving a high level of parental involvement, care and support, are desirable in reducing the possibility of children's engagement in cyberbullying ( 74 , 75 ). If difficulties are encountered, open communication can contribute to enhancing the sense of security ( 73 ). In this vein, parents should be aware of the importance of caring, communicating and supervising their children, and participate actively in their children's lives ( 71 ). In order to keep a balance between control and openness ( 47 ), parents can engage in unbiased open communication with their children, and reach an agreement on the usage of computers and smart phones ( 34 , 35 , 55 ). Similarly, it is of vital importance to establish a positive communication channel with children ( 19 ).

For schools, a higher priority is needed to create a safe and positive campus environment, providing students with learning opportunities and ensuring that every student is treated equally. With a youth-friendly environment, students are able to focus more on their academic performance and develop a strong sense of belonging to the school ( 79 ). For countries recognizing collectivist cultural values, such as China and India, emphasizing peer attachment and a sense of collectivism can reduce the risk of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization ( 78 ). Besides, schools can cooperate with mental health agencies and neighboring communities to develop preventive programs, such as extracurricular activities and training ( 44 , 53 , 62 ). Specifically, school-based preventive measures against cyberbullying are expected to be sensitive to the characteristics of young people at different ages, and the intersection of race and school diversity ( 29 , 76 ). It is recommended that school policies that aim to embrace diversity and embody mutual respect among students are created ( 26 ). Considering the high prevalence of cyberbullying and a series of serious consequences, it is suggested that intervention against cyberbullying starts from an early stage, at about 10 years old ( 54 ). Schools can organize seminars to strengthen communication between teachers and students so that they can better understand the needs of students ( 61 ). In addition, schools should encourage cyberbullying victims to seek help and provide students with opportunities to report cyberbullying behaviors, such as creating online anonymous calls.

Conclusions and Limitations

The comprehensive study has reviewed related research on children and adolescents cyberbullying across different countries and regions, providing a positive understanding of the current situation of cyberbullying. The number of studies on cyberbullying has surged in the last 5 years, especially those related to risk factors and protective factors of cyberbullying. However, research on effective prevention is insufficient and evaluation of policy tools for cyberbullying intervention is a nascent research field. Our comprehensive review concludes with possible strategies for cyberbullying prevention, including personal emotion management, digital ability training, policy applicability, and interpersonal skills. We highlight the important role of parental control in cyberbullying prevention. As for the role of parental control, it depends on whether children believe their parents are capable of adequately supporting them, rather than simply interfering in their lives, restricting their online behavior, and controlling or removing their devices ( 50 ). In general, cyberbullying is on the rise, with the effectiveness of interventions to meet this problem still requiring further development and exploration ( 83 ).

Considering the overlaps between cyberbullying and traditional offline bullying, future research can explore the unique risk and protective factors that are distinguishable from traditional bullying ( 86 ). To further reveal the variations, researchers can compare the outcomes of interventions conducted in cyberbullying and traditional bullying preventions simultaneously, and the same interventions only targeting cyberbullying ( 88 ). In addition, cyberbullying also reflects a series of other social issues, such as personal privacy and security, public opinion monitoring, multinational perpetration and group crimes. To address this problem, efforts from multiple disciplines and novel analytical methods in the digital era are required. As the Internet provides enormous opportunities to connect young people from all over the world, cyberbullying perpetrators may come from transnational networks. Hence, cyberbullying of children and adolescents, involving multiple countries, is worth further attention.

Our study has several limitations. First, national representative studies are scarce, while few studies from middle and low income countries were included in our research due to language restrictions. Many of the studies included were conducted in schools, communities, provinces, and cities in high income countries. Meanwhile, our review only focused on victimization and perpetration. Future studies should consider more perspectives, such as bystanders and those with the dual identity of victim/perpetrator, to comprehensively analyze the risk and protective factors of cyberbullying.

Data Availability Statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/ Supplementary Material , further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author/s.

Author Contributions

SH, CZ, RE, and WZ conceived the study and developed the design. WZ analyzed the result and supervised the study. CZ and SH wrote the first draft. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Supplementary Material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.634909/full#supplementary-material

1. Ang RP. Adolescent cyberbullying: a review of characteristics, prevention and intervention strategies. Aggress Violent Behav. (2015) 25:35–42. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2015.07.011

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

2. Reyna VF, Farley F. Risk and rationality in adolescent decision making: implications for theory, practice, and public policy. Psychol Sci Public Interest. (2006) 7:1–44. doi: 10.1111/j.1529-1006.2006.00026.x

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

3. UNICEF ed. Children in a Digital World . New York, NY: UNICEF (2017).

Google Scholar

4. Thomas HJ, Connor JP, Scott JG. Integrating traditional bullying and cyberbullying: challenges of definition and measurement in adolescents - a review. Educ Psychol Rev. (2015) 27:135–52. doi: 10.1007/s10648-014-9261-7

5. Baldry AC, Farrington DP, Sorrentino A. “Am I at risk of cyberbullying”? A narrative review and conceptual framework for research on risk of cyberbullying and cybervictimization: the risk and needs assessment approach. Aggress Violent Behav. (2015) 23:36–51. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2015.05.014

6. Olweus D. Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do . Oxford; Cambridge, MA: Blackwell (1993).

PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar

7. Dooley JJ, Pyzalski J, Cross D. Cyberbullying versus face-to-face bullying: a theoretical and conceptual review. J Psychol. (2009) 217:182–8. doi: 10.1027/0044-3409.217.4.182

8. Smith PK, Mahdavi J, Carvalho M, Fisher S, Russell S, Tippett N. Cyberbullying: its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. (2008) 49:376–85. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01846.x

9. Kowalski RM, Giumetti GW, Schroeder AN, Lattanner MR. Bullying in the digital age: a critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychol Bull. (2014) 140:1073–137. doi: 10.1037/a0035618

10. León Vicente I. Cybervictimization by cyberbullying: children at risk and children as risk (dissertation). University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain (2016).

11. Hinduja S, Patchin JW. Identification, Prevention, and Response. (2020).

12. Jadambaa A, Thomas HJ, Scott JG, Graves N, Brain D, Pacella R. Prevalence of traditional bullying and cyberbullying among children and adolescents in Australia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. (2019) 53:878–88. doi: 10.1177/0004867419846393

13. Pereira F, Matos M. Cyber-stalking victimization: what predicts fear among Portuguese adolescents? Eur J Crim Policy Res. (2016) 22:253–70. doi: 10.1007/s10610-015-9285-7

14. Reed LA, Ward LM, Tolman RM, Lippman JR, Seabrook RC. The association between stereotypical gender and dating beliefs and digital dating abuse perpetration in adolescent dating relationships. J Interpers Violence . (2018). doi: 10.1177/0886260518801933

15. Huang CL, Yang SC, Hsieh LS. The cyberbullying behavior of Taiwanese adolescents in an online gaming environment. Children Youth Serv Rev. (2019) 106:104461. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104461

16. Raskauskas J, Huynh A. The process of coping with cyberbullying: a systematic review. Aggress Violent Behav. (2015) 23:118–25. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2015.05.019

17. Bradshaw J, Crous G, Rees G, Turner N. Comparing children's experiences of schools-based bullying across countries. Children Youth Serv Rev. (2017) 80:171–80. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.06.060

18. Hutson E, Kelly S, Militello LK. Systematic review of cyberbullying interventions for youth and parents with implications for evidence-based practice. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. (2018) 15:72–9. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12257

19. Larranaga E, Yubero S, Ovejero A, Navarro R. Loneliness, parent-child communication and cyberbullying victimization among Spanish youths. Comp Hum Behav. (2016) 65:1–8. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.015

20. van Geel M, Vedder P, Tanilon J. Relationship between peer victimization, cyberbullying, and suicide in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. (2014) 168:435–42. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4143

21. Zych I, Ortega-Ruiz R, Del Rey R. Systematic review of theoretical studies on bullying and cyberbullying: facts, knowledge, prevention, and intervention. Aggress Violent Behav. (2015) 23:1–21. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2015.10.001

22. Selkie EM, Kota R, Chan Y-F, Moreno M. Cyberbullying, depression, and problem alcohol use in female college students: a multisite study. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. (2015) 18:79–86. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2014.0371

23. Brochado S, Soares S, Fraga S. A scoping review on studies of cyberbullying prevalence among adolescents. Trauma Violence Abus. (2017) 18:523–31. doi: 10.1177/1524838016641668

24. Nocentini A, Calmaestra J, Schultze-Krumbholz A, Scheithauer H, Ortega R, Menesini E. Cyberbullying: labels, behaviours and definition in three European Countries. Aust J Guid Couns. (2010) 20:129–42. doi: 10.1375/ajgc.20.2.129

25. Willard NE. Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress . Champaign: Research Press (2007).

26. Aizenkot D, Kashy-Rosenbaum G. Cyberbullying victimization in whatsapp classmate groups among Israeli Elementary, Middle, and High School Students. J Interpers Violence . (2019). doi: 10.1177/0886260519842860

27. Anderson CA, Bushman BJ. Human aggression. Ann Rev Psychol. (2002) 53:27–51. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135231

28. Higgins JP, Green S. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions . (2011). Available online at: http://handbook-5-1.cochrane.org/ (accessed January 17, 2021).

29. Alhajji M, Bass S, Dai T. Cyberbullying, mental health, and violence in adolescents and associations with sex and race: data from the 2015 youth risk behavior survey. Global Pediatr Health . (2019) 6:2333794X19868887. doi: 10.1177/2333794X19868887

30. Grinshteyn E, Yang YT. The association between electronic bullying and school absenteeism among high school students in the United States. J School Health. (2017) 87:142–9. doi: 10.1111/josh.12476

31. Mesch GS. Parent-child connections on social networking sites and cyberbullying. Youth Soc. (2018) 50:1145–62. doi: 10.1177/0044118X16659685

32. Sam J, Wisniewski P, Xu H, Rosson MB, Carroll JM. How are social capital and parental mediation associated with cyberbullying and cybervictimization among youth in the United States? In: Stephanidis C, editor. HCI International 2017 – Posters' Extended Abstracts Communications in Computer Information Science Cham: Springer International Publishing. p. 638–644.

33. Hong JS, Kim DH, Thornberg R, Kang JH, Morgan JT. Correlates of direct and indirect forms of cyberbullying victimization involving South Korean adolescents: an ecological perspective. Comput Hum Behav. (2018) 87:327–36. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.06.010

34. Lee C, Shin N. Prevalence of cyberbullying and predictors of cyberbullying perpetration among Korean adolescents. Comp Hum Behav. (2017) 68:352–8. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.047

35. You S, Lim SA. Longitudinal predictors of cyberbullying perpetration: evidence from Korean middle school students. Person Ind Differ. (2016) 89:172–6. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.10.019

36. Holt TJ, Fitzgerald S, Bossler AM, Chee G, Ng E. Assessing the risk factors of cyber and mobile phone bullying victimization in a nationally representative sample of Singapore Youth. Int J Offend Ther Comp Criminol. (2016) 60:598–615. doi: 10.1177/0306624X14554852

37. Marret MJ, Choo WY. Factors associated with online victimisation among Malaysian adolescents who use social networking sites: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. (2017) 7:e014959. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014959

38. Tesler R, Nissanholtz-Gannot R, Zigdon A, Harel-Fisch Y. The association of cyber-bullying and adolescents in religious and secular schools in Israel. J Relig Health. (2019) 58:2095–109. doi: 10.1007/s10943-019-00938-z

39. Beran T, Mishna F, McInroy LB, Shariff S. Children's experiences of cyberbullying: a Canadian National Study. Child School. (2015) 37:207–14. doi: 10.1093/cs/cdv024

40. World Bank Country and Lending Groups – World Bank Data Help Desk. Available online at: https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups [accessed January 25, 2021).

41. Marco JH, Tormo-Irun P. Cyber victimization is associated with eating disorder psychopathology in adolescents. Front Psychol. (2018) 9:987. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00987

42. Olenik-Shemesh D, Heiman T. Cyberbullying victimization in adolescents as related to body esteem, social support, and social self-efficacy. J Genet Psychol. (2017) 178:28–43. doi: 10.1080/00221325.2016.1195331

43. Rao J, Wang H, Pang M, Yang J, Zhang J, Ye Y, et al. Cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation among junior and senior high school students in Guangzhou, China. Inj Prev. (2019) 25:13–9. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2016-042210

44. Lee C. Weak Commitment to School, Deviant Peers, and Cyberbullying Victimization-Strain in Adolescent Cyberbullying . (2017). Available online at: https://search.proquest.com/pqdtglobal/docview/1937915933/abstract/9D85437600564444PQ/30 (accessed June 17, 2020).

45. Lin MT. Risk factors associated with cyberbullying victimization and perpetration among Taiwan children (dissertation). The University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States (2019).

46. Pieschl S, Porsch T. The complex relationship between cyberbullying and trust. Int J Dev Sci. (2017) 11:9–17. doi: 10.3233/DEV-160208

47. Brighi A, Menin D, Skrzypiec G, Guarini A. Young, bullying, and connected. Common pathways to cyberbullying and problematic internet use in adolescence. Front Psychol. (2019) 10:1467. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01467

48. Festl R. Perpetrators on the internet: analyzing individual and structural explanation factors of cyberbullying in school context. Comp Hum Behav. (2016) 59:237–48. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.017

49. Olumide AO, Adams P, Amodu OK. Prevalence and correlates of the perpetration of cyberbullying among in-school adolescents in Oyo State, Nigeria. Int J Adolesc Med Health. (2016) 28:183–91. doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2015-0009

50. Baldry AC, Sorrentino A, Farrington DP. Cyberbullying and cybervictimization versus parental supervision, monitoring and control of adolescents' online activities. Child Youth Serv Rev. (2019) 96:302–7. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.11.058

51. Garaigordobil M. Cyberbullying in adolescents and youth in the Basque Country: prevalence of cybervictims, cyberaggressors, and cyberobservers. J Youth Stud. (2015) 18:569–82. doi: 10.1080/13676261.2014.992324

52. Morin HK, Bradshaw CP, Kush JM. Adjustment outcomes of victims of cyberbullying: the role of personal and contextual factors. J School Psychol. (2018) 70:74–88. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2018.07.002

53. Baraldsnes D. The prevalence of cyberbullying and the views of 5-12 grade pupils and teachers on cyberbullying prevention in Lithuanian Schools. Uinv J Educ Res. (2015) 3:949–59. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2015.031201

54. Razjouyan K, Mobarake AH, Sadr SS, Ardestani SMS, Yaseri M. The relationship between emotional intelligence and the different roles in cyberbullying among high school students in Tehran. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci. (2018) 12:UNSP e11560. doi: 10.5812/ijpbs.11560

55. Alvarez-Garcia D, Carlos Nunez J, Garcia T, Barreiro-Collazo A. Individual, family, and community predictors of cyber-aggression among adolescents. Eur J Psychol Appl Legal Context. (2018) 10:79–88. doi: 10.5093/ejpalc2018a8

56. Horzum MB, Ayas T, Randler C, Dusunceli B. The effects of empathy and circadian preference on cyberbullying of adolescents in Turkey. Biol Rhythm Res . (2019). doi: 10.1080/09291016.2019.1603839

57. Carmen Martinez-Monteagudo M, Delgado B, Manuel Garcia-Fernandez J, Rubio E. Cyberbullying, aggressiveness, and emotional intelligence in adolescence. Int J Environ Res Public Health. (2019) 16:5079. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16245079

58. Sasson H, Mesch G. The role of parental mediation and peer norms on the likelihood of cyberbullying. J Genet Psychol. (2017) 178:15–27. doi: 10.1080/00221325.2016.1195330

59. Wang X, Lei L, Liu D, Hu H. Moderating effects of moral reasoning and gender on the relation between moral disengagement and cyberbullying in adolescents. Person Ind Differ. (2016) 98:244–9. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.04.056

60. Simsek N, Sahin D, Evli M. Internet addiction, cyberbullying, and victimization relationship in adolescents a sample from Turkey. J Addict Nurs. (2019) 30:201–10. doi: 10.1097/JAN.0000000000000296

61. McQuillan BE. Ecological Factors Associated with Middle School Students' Experiences of Cyberbullying . (2016). Available online at: https://search.proquest.com/pqdtglobal/docview/1794167537/abstract/9D85437600564444PQ/4 (accessed June 17, 2020).

62. Rose CA, Tynes BM. Longitudinal associations between cybervictimization and mental health among U.S. adolescents. J Adolesc Health. (2015) 57:305–12. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.05.002

63. Stockdale LA, Coyne SM, Nelson DA, Erickson DH. Borderline personality disorder features, jealousy, and cyberbullying in adolescence. Pers Individ Differ. (2015) 83:148–53. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.04.003

64. Chen Q, Lo Camilla KM, Yuhong Z, Anne C, Ling CK, Patrick I. Family poly-victimization and cyberbullying among adolescents in a Chinese school sample. Child Abuse Negl. (2018) 77:180–7. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.01.015

65. Landoll RR, La Greca AM, Lai BS, Chan SF, Herge WM. Cyber victimization by peers: prospective associations with adolescent social anxiety and depressive symptoms. J Adolesc. (2015) 42:77–86. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.04.002

66. Iranzo B, Buelga S, Cava M-J, Ortega-Baron J. Cyberbullying, psychosocial adjustment, and suicidal ideation in adolescence. Psychosoc Interv. (2019) 28:75–81. doi: 10.5093/pi2019a5

67. Buelga S, Cava MJ, Musitu G, Torralba E. Cyberbullying aggressors among Spanish secondary education students: an exploratory study. Interact Tech Smart Ed. (2015) 12:100–15. doi: 10.1108/ITSE-08-2014-0025

68. Katz I, Lemish D, Cohen R, Arden A. When parents are inconsistent: parenting style and adolescents' involvement in cyberbullying. J Adolesc. (2019) 74:1–2. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.04.006

69. Cénat JM, Blais M, Lavoie F, Caron P-O, Hébert M. Cyberbullying victimization and substance use among Quebec high schools students: the mediating role of psychological distress. Comp Hum Behav. (2018) 89:207–12. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.08.014

70. Hoareau N, Bages C, Allaire M, Guerrien A. The role of psychopathic traits and moral disengagement in cyberbullying among adolescents. Crim Behav Ment Health. (2019) 29:321–31. doi: 10.1002/cbm.2135

71. Khurana A, Bleakley A, Jordan A, Romer D. The protective effects of parental monitoring and internet restriction on adolescents' risk of online harassment. J Youth Adolesc. (2015) 44:1039–47. doi: 10.1007/s10964-014-0242-4

72. Martínez I, Murgui S, Garcia OF, Garcia F. Parenting in the digital era: protective and risk parenting styles for traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization. Comp Hum Behav. (2019) 90:84–92. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.08.036

73. Yusuf S, Salleh H, Bahaman A, Shamsul M, Ramli N, Ramli AN, et al. Parental attachment and cyberbullying experiences among Malaysian children. Pertanika J Scholarly Res Rev . (2018) 4:67–80.

74. Martinez-Ferrer B, Leon-Moreno C, Musitu-Ferrer D, Romero-Abrio A, Callejas-Jeronimo JE, Musitu-Ochoa G. Parental socialization, school adjustment and cyber-aggression among adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. (2019) 16:4005. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16204005

75. Moreno–Ruiz D, Martínez–Ferrer B, García–Bacete F. Parenting styles, cyberaggression, and cybervictimization among adolescents. Comp Hum Behav. (2019) 93:252–9. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.031

76. Ho SS, Chen L, Ng APY. Comparing cyberbullying perpetration on social media between primary and secondary school students. Comp Educ. (2017) 109:74–84. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2017.02.004

77. Gómez-Ortiz O, Romera EM, Ortega-Ruiz R, Del Rey R. Parenting practices as risk or preventive factors for adolescent involvement in cyberbullying: contribution of children and parent gender. Int J Environ Res Public Health. (2018) 15:2664. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15122664

78. Wright MF, Kamble SV, Soudi SP. Indian adolescents' cyber aggression involvement and cultural values: the moderation of peer attachment. Sch Psychol Int. (2015) 36:410–27. doi: 10.1177/0143034315584696

79. Holfeld B, Leadbeater BJ. Concurrent and longitudinal associations between early adolescents' experiences of school climate and cyber victimization. Comput Hum Behav. (2017) 76:321–8. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.07.037

80. Álvarez-García D, Núñez JC, González-Castro P, Rodríguez C, Cerezo R. The effect of parental control on cyber-victimization in adolescence: the mediating role of impulsivity and high-risk behaviors. Front Psychol. (2019) 10:1159. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01159

81. Modecki KL, Minchin J, Harbaugh AG, Guerra NG, Runions KC. Bullying prevalence across contexts: a meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying. J Adolesc Health. (2014) 55:602–11. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.007

82. Hamm MP, Newton AS, Chisholm A, Shulhan J, Milne A, Sundar P, et al. Prevalence and effect of cyberbullying on children and young people: a scoping review of social media studies. JAMA Pediatr. (2015) 169:770. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0944

83. Gaffney H, Farrington DP, Espelage DL, Ttofi MM. Are cyberbullying intervention and prevention programs effective? A systematic and meta-analytical review. Aggress Violent Behav. (2019) 45:134–53. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2018.07.002

84. Selkie EM, Fales JL, Moreno MA. Cyberbullying prevalence among US middle and high school-aged adolescents: a systematic review and quality assessment. J Adolesc Health. (2016) 58:125–33. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.09.026

85. Ybarra ML, Boyd D, Korchmaros JD, Oppenheim J. Defining and measuring cyberbullying within the larger context of bullying victimization. J Adolesc Health. (2012) 51:53–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.12.031

86. Kowalski RM, Limber SP, McCord A. A developmental approach to cyberbullying: prevalence and protective factors. Aggress Violent Behav. (2019) 45:20–32. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2018.02.009

87. Dilmac B, Yurt E, Aydin M, Kasarci I. Predictive relationship between humane values of adolescents cyberbullying and cyberbullying sensibility. Electron J Res Educ Psychol. (2016) 14:3–22. doi: 10.14204/ejrep.38.14123

88. Reed KP, Cooper RL, Nugent WR, Russell K. Cyberbullying: a literature review of its relationship to adolescent depression and current intervention strategies. J Hum Behav Soc Environ. (2016) 26:37–45. doi: 10.1080/10911359.2015.1059165

Keywords: cyberbullying, children, adolescents, globalization, risk factors, preventive measures

Citation: Zhu C, Huang S, Evans R and Zhang W (2021) Cyberbullying Among Adolescents and Children: A Comprehensive Review of the Global Situation, Risk Factors, and Preventive Measures. Front. Public Health 9:634909. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.634909

Received: 29 November 2020; Accepted: 10 February 2021; Published: 11 March 2021.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2021 Zhu, Huang, Evans and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Wei Zhang, weizhanghust@hust.edu.cn

† These authors have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Gus Walz's powerful DNC moment shows the need to confront bullying

Gus Walz cries as his father, Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, speaks during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 21, in Chicago. Credit: AP/Charles Rex Arbogast

This guest essay reflects the views of Saundra M. Gumerove, president of the board of directors at AHRC Nassau and adjunct professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.

When the camera cut to Gus Walz on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, I saw a young man living a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — his dad, his hero, his biggest supporter — was being considered for one of the highest offices in the land. Gus couldn’t contain his pride or tears.

It was a powerful moment, one that brought out the very best and the worst in the people who witnessed it. "Talk about weird," right-wing pundit Ann Coulter posted and subsequently deleted from X. "If the Walzs represent today's American man, this country is screwed," shot off conservative radio host Jay Weber on X in a longer, inflammatory post he later deleted. Both apologized. Weber was taken off the air.

Their apologies focused on how they didn’t know about Gus’ disability. Gus has ADHD, an anxiety disorder, and a nonverbal learning disorder. Bullying a teenager is always unacceptable, and I hate to break it to them but in real life bullying people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including autism, looks and sounds exactly like that.

I see it every day as a mom and as a special needs attorney. My daughter Lauren has faced bullying her entire life. She was born with Sturge-Weber syndrome, which gives her a unique physical appearance and impacts cognition and medical health. When Lauren goes out in public people stare or make offhand comments like, "What’s wrong with her?"

The otherness projected onto my daughter isn’t her issue alone — it’s all of ours. We must collectively come together to address the roots of ableism and redirect focus to self-awareness about shifting social norms toward inclusion.

From our Editorial Board, get inside the local, city and state political scenes.

By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy .

Both sides of the aisle came to Gus Walz’s defense. We must be proactive and ensure that our political platforms remain inclusive. We cannot be bystanders to bullying especially now as the number of children with diagnoses of autism, intellectual disability or developmental delay is increasing, according to a 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Let’s show people how inclusion and belonging create a better future for everyone. People must see and believe it’s possible because even with federal and state anti-discrimination laws, disability discrimination and bullying persist. According to an Urban Institute 2023 report, adults with disabilities "have worse self-reported physical and mental health status, lower employment rates, and higher rates of chronic illness, poverty, and material hardship than adults without disabilities."

Working toward full inclusion and belonging starts with education, awareness, and relentless advocacy. It took 25 years for Nassau County to advance reimbursement rates for speech, occupational, and physical therapists assisting preschoolers. There's more to do.

Funding is lagging statewide to support people with I/DD in our communities. People with I/DD need hands-on assistance from individuals called direct support professionals to lead healthy and independent lives. This profession is relatively unknown outside of the sector and remains underfunded despite annual campaigns. On a positive note, federal recognition of these professionals is being considered with a bill in Congress that would ensure the Office of Management and Budget collects data on direct support professionals to help inform lawmakers’ funding decisions.

Please, take time to better understand these issues — and share your support with legislators. The spotlight that shone on Gus Walz shines on us, too, as our collective call to action.

This guest essay reflects the views of Saundra M. Gumerove, president of the board of directors at AHRC Nassau and adjunct professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.

Stay logged in.

The Newsday app makes it easier to access content without having to log in.

Unlimited Digital Access Only 25¢ for 5 months

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Cyber Bullying — The Problem, Solution, and Long-Term Effects of Cyber Bullying on Children

Cyberbullying: Problem and Solution for Children

• Categories: Bullying Cyber Bullying

About this sample

Words: 1614 |

Published: Jan 15, 2019

Words: 1614 | Pages: 4 | 9 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, cyber bullying, solution for cyberbullying: what should be done, effects of cyber bullying.

• Snakenborg, J., Van Acker, R., & Gable, R. A. (2011). Cyberbullying: Prevention and intervention to protect our children and youth. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 55(2), 88-95. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1045988X.2011.539454)
• Zhu, C., Huang, S., Evans, R., & Zhang, W. (2021). Cyberbullying among adolescents and children: A comprehensive review of the global situation, risk factors, and preventive measures. Frontiers in public health, 9, 634909. (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.634909/full)
• Christian Elledge, L., Williford, A., Boulton, A. J., DePaolis, K. J., Little, T. D., & Salmivalli, C. (2013). Individual and contextual predictors of cyberbullying: The influence of children’s provictim attitudes and teachers’ ability to intervene. Journal of youth and adolescence, 42, 698-710 (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-013-9920-x)
• Von Marées, N., & Petermann, F. (2012). Cyberbullying: An increasing challenge for schools. School psychology international, 33(5), 467-476. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0143034312445241)
• Chisholm, J. F. (2014). Review of the status of cyberbullying and cyberbullying prevention. Journal of information systems education, 25(1), 77. (https://jise.org/Volume25/n1/JISEv25n1p77.html)

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Social Issues

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 726 words

4 pages / 1965 words

4 pages / 1610 words

4 pages / 1618 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Cyber Bullying

Adolescence is a critical period of development, where individuals undergo significant physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. In today's digital age, this transformative stage is increasingly shaped by the omnipresence of [...]

Cyberbullying, a form of harassment through the use of technology, has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. With the rise of social media and online communication, individuals, particularly adolescents, are at risk of [...]

Cyber bullying has become a pressing issue in today's society, with devastating consequences for its victims. The rise of technology and social media platforms has provided bullies with new avenues to target and harass [...]

Imagine waking up every day, dreading the moment you switch on your computer or check your phone. The fear of encountering hurtful messages or malicious comments is ever-present. This is the reality for millions of individuals [...]

The role of social media platforms in preventing cyberbullying is of utmost importance in today's digital landscape. By embracing their responsibilities and implementing effective measures, social media companies can contribute [...]

It took a considerable amount of time for people to realise what are the different forms of stalking and a lot more to gauge and understand its effects. Its impact, especially on young minds, has long-lasting effects. Laws and [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free