Cyberbullying

Primary reference(s)

US Government, 2020. What is Cyberbullying: Stopbullying.gov. Accessed 8 November 2020.

Additional scientific description

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describes cyberbullying as bullying with the use of digital technologies. It is repeated behaviour, aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted. Examples include: spreading lies about or posting embarrassing photos of someone on social media; sending hurtful messages or threats via messaging platforms; and impersonating someone and sending mean messages to others on their behalf (UNICEF, no date).

Face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying can often happen alongside each other. But cyberbullying leaves a digital footprint – a record that can prove useful and provide evidence to help stop the abuse (UNICEF, no date).

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNICEF define cyberbullying as wilful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices (ITU and UNICEF, 2015). It may involve direct (such as chat or text messaging), semi-public (such as posting a harassing message on an e-mail list) or public communications (such as creating a website devoted to making fun of the victim).

Online harassment is harassment taking place via the internet (on a social network, a forum, a multiplayer video game, blogs).

Other cyberbullying activities include: dissemination of photos or video ridiculing the person; grooming; radicalisation; nonconsensual diffusion of intimate photos or personal information; dissemination of false rumours; identity theft from social media accounts; impersonating another person online; sharing private messages; creating hate websites/social media pages; excluding people from online groups; flaming, or using purposeful extreme or offensive language in order to get into online arguments and fights; and cyber stalking (PHE, 2014; Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, 2019; Public Service France, 2020; Family Lives, no date).

Metrics and numeric limits

Not found.

Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management

Research has demonstrated the causal relationship between experiencing bullying and poorer health and wellbeing outcomes in children and adolescents, with potentially long-term impacts into adulthood. The negative effect of bullying has also been demonstrated among the perpetrators of bullying and not just the victims. Moreover, there is often an interaction between being bullied and bullying others; those who are both bullies and victims (bully/victims) are likely to display the worst health and social outcomes. In summary: 20% of children and young people indicate fear of cyber-bullies made them reluctant to go to school; 5% reported self-harm; 3% reported an attempt of suicide as a direct result of cyberbullying; young people are found to be twice as likely to be bullied on Facebook as any other social networking site; and 28% of young people have reported incidents of cyberbullying on Twitter (PHE, 2014).

Socio-economic or educational disadvantage, disability, minority ethnic origin (some groups) and LGBT status are also indicators of a high risk for cyberbullying (Cross et al., 2012).

Research conducted in 28 countries, including the USA, China, India, Russia, and Brazil found that, on average, 17% of parents said their children had been a victim of cyberbullying. In India, that figure was as high as 37% (Comparitech, 2020).