social media and cyber bullying essay

Cyberbullying on Social Media

This essay will delve into the issue of cyberbullying on social media platforms. It will discuss the various forms cyberbullying takes, its impact on victims, and the challenges in combating it. The piece will examine the role of social media in facilitating cyberbullying, the psychological effects on individuals, and the legal and ethical considerations surrounding it. Additionally, it will explore strategies for prevention and intervention. Additionally, PapersOwl presents more free essays samples linked to Social Media.

How it works

Social media has recently developed into one of the most influential communication tools and has revolutionized millions of individuals globally. It has become an important tool in our daily life and plays a significant role when it comes to expressing ourselves. Furthermore, virtual modes of communication have been developed and helped corporations flourish and expand all over the world. People like to be recognized, and social media has turned out to be a paramount tool for them to express their state of lives.

Celebrities and other public figures use social media to share important information, such as selling their ideologies and update their fans and followers on their next move. However, despite the positive impacts on the globe, social media has also led and aggravated bullying in society. It is a new form of bullying commonly referred to as cyberbullying. Even though cyberbullying affects individuals in different ways, a clear correlation exists when it comes to self-esteem among victims and the perpetrators (Diemm, 2014).

In the event when there are speculations and controversies involving particular people and organizations, they will use social media to express their stand or comments to clear the controversy or correct their status. Twitter and Facebook being two most influential social media instruments, have very many followers, and on the occasions when there are national calamities or any important events, individuals will use social media to express the opinions of praise or consolation to the affected members. According to Diemm (2014), Freed Odom of speech in America is guaranteed by the First Amendment and is one of the human rights, and social media is one of the ways of expression that freedom. However, the fact that social media is useful in our lives does not disqualify the drawbacks associated with social media on the bases of cyberbullying.

Amidst all such benefits of social media, there are some specific miseries, and one such curse of social media, which is steadily hounding the lives of immeasurable young persons, is cyber-bullying. Cyberbullying is described as intimidation and niggling of individuals through the use of the internet particularly social media (Letendre, 2014). Most people are used to the physical bullying that they are not able to comprehend how others can be bullied through social media. Imagine a situation where another person publicly insults you and to add slur on the grievance, the whole of your family, including acquaintances and friends; that is how cyberbullying works. Social media networking sites have become a breeding arena of intimidators, and each day hundreds of internet users are falling victims of such bullies.

Notably, social media allows users to insult, bully, and threaten others without the fear of being punished, and most offenders believe that that cyber-bullying is not going to land them in any trouble. (Michael & Agur, 2018). This daring attitude has been fueled through the use of social media technology which has instigated most of the cyberbullying cases. To combat this behavior the society should enact proper measures and policies that will be taken against the perpetrators. Without these policies, social media will remain a tool to be used for body shamming and other cyberbullying acts, which can cause huge damages to the victims.

Behind the safety of a screen and a catchy/fake username, social media has led to the rise of various wrongs. For one, people post whatever they want, regardless of who will get hurt in the process. This has led to the intrusion and violation of the privacy of many people. Insults on social media are traded like it’s a norm. Social media has given people the ‘courage’ to insult others, something that we would not do in a face to face scenario.

Furthermore, social media has made it easier for people to be bullied, and in several instances, led to suicide. Through social media, stalkers are finding it easier to prey on their victims. To some extent, this has made the world feel a little bit less secure. It is a common perception that no one cares what other social media users think or speak of you because of the freedom that most social media platforms offer. According to Akhtar (2012), Cyberbullying has become prevalent, and individuals are starting to consider it as a norm because no one will hold them accountable for their online behavior. Cyberbullying is rampant on social media platforms and is increasing due to the much freedom being offered by social networking sites. It is evident from several Types of research by Non-governmental organizations that individuals have reportedly committed suicide because of cyberbullying (Diem, 2014). A good example is a 16-year-old student from Central High School in Manchester who committed suicide after being ridiculed on social media posts for being a homosexual (Rueb, 2019).

With technology advancement and the ease of access to information, transferring and sharing images, screenshots, and other related data has become a way of blackmailing others. Blackmail is one of the major causes of cyberbullying (Natalie and James, 2010). If a person denies the influence of social media on our daily life, that person is ignorant. Social media uprising is one of the largest technological advancements. According to the statistics from PEW research, 75% of social media users utilize their accounts daily (Woifer & Scheithauer, 2014). The users are made to believe that the sites provide them with the Privacy they deserve and that they can express their feelings or opinions to whom they feel like. However, the effects of social media, especially on youth, are quite negative because they are immature, and the exposure they are getting from the Sites may be too much (Singh, 2017). Individuals express their freedom through comments and posts. Nasty and disguising comments are common on the sites as users are not afraid of action that may be taken against them; therefore, they do it openly and whenever they feel like.

The fact that social media is useful in our lives does not eliminate the shortcomings associated with social media on the bases of cyberbullying. The disagreement that pictures or/and videos posted on social media frequently interfere with an individual’s privacy. Social media lets individuals to respond against inequality and other injustices that exist in society. The users are free to give or express their anger, which would have been suppressed in fear of the consequences. Social networking sites are allowing users to bully, insult and threaten others without the fear of being punished, and many of the offenders believe that cyber-bullying cannot land them on the bad side of the law nor any problem.

The fearless attitude that these oppressors have is mostly driven by social media technology and the freedom it possesses and thus prompting more cyber-bullying cases, and unless proper retributive measures are taken against the perpetrators, social networking sites will continue to be used as means of bullying. According to research by Human Rights Activist (2018), cyber-bullying can be damaging to the victims. Every citizen from different parts of the world has the right and freedom of expression. Therefore the social media allows people to express their opinions and understandings. Social media can be very useful and at some, a tool for committing crimes based on how the users utilize the sites. Therefore users should be very careful when using social sites.  

Cite this page

Cyberbullying on Social Media. (2021, Apr 12). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/cyberbullying-on-social-media/

"Cyberbullying on Social Media." PapersOwl.com , 12 Apr 2021, https://papersowl.com/examples/cyberbullying-on-social-media/

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Cyberbullying on Social Media . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/cyberbullying-on-social-media/ [Accessed: 23 Aug. 2024]

"Cyberbullying on Social Media." PapersOwl.com, Apr 12, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/cyberbullying-on-social-media/

"Cyberbullying on Social Media," PapersOwl.com , 12-Apr-2021. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/cyberbullying-on-social-media/. [Accessed: 23-Aug-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Cyberbullying on Social Media . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/cyberbullying-on-social-media/ [Accessed: 23-Aug-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

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

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

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

Associations between social media and cyberbullying: a review of the literature

Renee garett.

1 ElevateU, Los Angeles, CA, USA;

Lynwood R. Lord

2 University of California Institute for Prediction Technology, Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Sean D. Young

Cyberbullying is a significant public health concern that can lead to increased risk of mental health issues, including psychological and developmental problems or suicide. However, because cyberbullying is a relatively recent phenomenon, there is a lack of agreement among researchers about the definition and prevalence of cyberbullying as well as methods for measuring its prevalence. In this review, we evaluate papers published between January 2013 to August 2015 that explored cyberbullying through the medium of social media. The aims of the study are to (I) clarify the characteristics of people involved in cyberbullying, and (II) identify the types of instruments used to measure cyberbullying on social media. In particular, we attempt to understand the factors underlying abuser behavior, how abusive behavior affects the well-being of victims, and how bystanders mitigate or contribute to the act of cyberbullying.

Introduction

Social media has had a profound effect on how young people interact with their peers.

The use of social networking sites has increased tremendously over the past decade, with an estimated 80% of U.S. teenagers now using some form of social media ( 1 , 2 ). Social media websites offer an increasingly broad set of functionality and are characterized by user-generated content and a collective communication style ( 3 ). Unlike traditional websites, social media allows selective sharing of information and content based on settings the user chooses on his or her account. This ability to share has given young people unprecedented access to private information and a readily available platform to leverage that information against others.

Cyberbullying, a growing problem associated with social media use, has become a significant public health concern that can lead to mental and behavioral health issues and an increased risk of suicide. Cyberbullying has been associated with face-to-face confrontations, concern about going to school, and physical altercations ( 4 ). In the United States, a majority of students aged 12 to 18 reported that they were cyberbullied at least twice during the past year ( 5 ). Children who are bullied are more likely to experience symptoms of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, changes in sleep and eating habits, increased feelings of loneliness, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy ( 6 ). Moreover, traditional bullying and cyberbullying victims report self-injurious behavior, suicidal ideation, and exhibit suicidal behaviors at similar levels ( 7 ).

Although the field of research on cyberbullying is relatively new, several cyberbullying literature reviews have been published. These reviews have focused on the consequences of cyberbullying ( 8 ), defining cyberbullying, and reporting its prevalence ( 9 - 11 ). Additionally, other reviews have focused on more narrow topics such as the relationship between cyberbullying and schools ( 12 ), the impact of cyberbullying on adolescents ( 13 ), and influencing school policy ( 14 ). One study, by Berne and colleagues, concentrates solely on the instruments used by researchers to measure cyberbullying ( 15 ).

In this review, we focus on papers that explore the relationship between cyberbullying and social media, with an emphasis on articles that discuss how cyberbullying affects the well-being of young people. The specific aims of the study are (I) to explore the characteristics of people involved in cyberbullying, and (II) to clarify what measurement instruments will lead to consistent, evidence-based evaluations of cyberbullying on social media. In particular, we attempt to understand the factors underlying abuser behavior, the mental health characteristics of victims, and how bystanders mitigate or contribute to the act of cyberbullying.

A systematic search of PubMed and PsycINFO was conducted to identify relevant papers. For each search, the term “cyberbullying” was used as the main search term and one of the following terms was included: social media, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter. In total, we identified 307 papers, with 98 papers appearing in PubMed and 209 listed in PsycINFO ( Figure 1 ).

Flowchart of articles evaluated for the literature review.

There is still some debate about how to define cyberbullying. However, researchers have agreed on a working definition that includes four criteria: (I) the sender must intend to harm the receiver; (II) there is a power imbalance between the sender and receiver (e.g., age, social status, anonymity, physical strength); (III) acts of aggression are usually repeated; and (IV) a personal computer, mobile phone, or other electronic device is used to communicate. For the purposes of this review, this definition was used to parse the search results.

The following inclusion criteria were used to select papers:

• Published in a peer-reviewed journal between January 2013 to August 2015;
• Available in electronic form;
• The acting definition of cyberbullying matched the definition presented above;
• The research design included a social media platform (e.g., Twitter, Facebook);
• An empirical study and original dataset was used (i.e., not a literature review).

Using these guidelines eliminated papers that discussed similar concepts to cyberbullying, such as flaming or harassment. The search results returned numerous papers that discussed traditional bullying but not cyberbullying. Furthermore, many papers evaluated cyberbullying, but did not explore the relationship between cyberbullying and social media; these papers were eliminated from the analysis.

Our initial evaluation of 307 papers resulted in 73 papers being selected for in-depth review. The in-depth review focused on criteria points 3 to 5 above to ensure that each paper detailed an independent empirical study of cyberbullying and its relationship to social media. The in-depth review was completed by a team of two reviewers who worked independently, and a third reviewer made the final selection of papers to retain for the analysis ( Figure 1 ).

Data analysis

Data extracted from the papers comprised the following categories: (I) author(s) and year of publication; (II) sample characteristics (sample size, % female, school level, and country); (III) study characteristics (social media platform used for cyberbullying, subpopulation studied, and purpose/objective of paper); (IV) factors significantly related to cyberbullying for the population researched (bullies, victims, bystanders); and (V) cyberbullying definition and frequency (i.e., instrument used to measure cyberbullying and the reported frequency of bullying/cyberbullying).

First, we categorized studies according to the instrument used to measure cyberbullying. The breakdown of instruments was similar to that reported by Berne and colleagues ( 15 ), but was not as extensive. Second, we created a list of the various factors mentioned in each text to explain cyberbullying and to characterize subjects in the study. The papers focused on three subpopulations: victims, bullies, and bystanders. The researchers ran a regression model or conducted a correlation analysis in order to estimate the relationship between cyberbullying and numerous different factors. In these regression models/correlation matrices, a measure of cyberbullying was used as an independent or dependent variable. The factors or variables of interest in the models served as characteristics of the three different subpopulations. If a factor was found to be statistically significant or highly correlated with a measure of cyberbullying, it was added to a list of factors that explain cyberbullying (with respect to each subpopulation).

There was a steady increase in the number of cyberbullying studies published during the 3-year review period: 1 each in 2013 and 2014 (4.5%, respectively), 7 in 2014 (31.8%), and 11 in 2015 (50%). Appendix A summarizes the 22 papers that were reviewed.

There was a general consensus that cyberbullying only affects youths. Of the 22 papers, 14 (63.6%) used a sample consisting of middle school/high school students, 9 (40.9%) included university students, and 3 (13.6%) included primary school students. This youth-oriented focus resulted in 20 (90.9%) of studies being sampled by the school level. The average sample consisted of seven schools, with 7 (31.8%) studies sampling from a single school; 5 (22.7%) studies failed to report the number of schools. Similarly, 6 (27.2%) studies used a non-random convenience sample and 12 (54.5%) studies used some type of randomization. Overall, the average sample size was 129.9 (54.2% female) and the majority of studies did not collect data longitudinally (n=20; 90.9% of the studies consisted of a one-time data collection event).

The most commonly cited social media platforms were Facebook (n=10, 45.4%) and MySpace (n=3, 13.6%). Four other platforms were mentioned, but they were infrequently cited: instant messaging was mentioned twice (9.1%) and Twitter, Instagram, and chat rooms each received one mention (4.6%).

Instruments

The most prevalent instruments used to measure cyberbullying were multi-question surveys (45.4%) followed by direct questions (27.3%) ( Table 1 ). The multi-question surveys ranged from 9 to 32 questions in length. Both the multi-survey instruments and the “direct question to subject” instruments asked subjects to recall a period of time ranging from the previous week to the previous year. Of the 10 studies that used multi-question instruments, 9 used instruments featured in previous studies.

*, of the 10 papers, 9 (40.9%) used survey tools that were established in previous research papers; † , time periods ranged from the previous week to the previous year.

To identify the characteristics of individuals involved in cyberbullying, we began by classifying studies according to subpopulation. Studies most frequently researched cyberbullying victims (n=15, 68.2%) or bullies (n=11, 50%), and a smaller number evaluated bystanders (n=7, 31.9%). Ten (45.4%) studies examined both victims and bullies, 5 (22.7%) studies looked at victims alone, and 1 (4.5%) study looked at bullies alone.

As noted above, all multi-question and direct-question instruments asked subjects to recall a specific period of time. For instance, “In the previous year, how many times were you cyberbullied?” Of 13 studies that reported on the prevalence of cyberbullying within their sample, 12 reported timeframes ranging from 1 month to 1 year. These 12 papers used the criteria of being “cyberbullied at least once” during that timeframe as their definition of having experienced cyberbullying ( Table 2 ). When a subject provided a smaller timeframe or was asked about more frequent bullying, the prevalence rate lowered. For example, Navarro and colleagues noted that only 2.9% of their subjects reported being cyberbullied multiple times per week (1.8% reported being bullied multiple times a week) ( 16 ).

This table reports the average levels of bullying/cyberbullying seen in the literature. Four (17%) papers failed to report any values and 5 (21%) papers did not research victim/bully subpopulations.

The findings in each paper were analyzed to create a list of characteristics for the cyberbullying subpopulations. The majority of papers (n=15, 68.2%) modeled cyberbullying/conducted a correlation analysis of cyberbullying or proposed a model that used cyberbullying as an independent variable. Five other papers (22.7%) explored the motivations/perceptions of bystanders with respect to cyberbullying. Only those characteristics found to be statistically significant or highly correlated with cyberbullying were added to the list for each subpopulation. Characteristics of victims (n=21), cyberbullies (n=17), and bystanders (n=10) were compiled. A list of the most commonly cited characteristics was compiled for Table 3 .

We found that the most commonly used instruments are sophisticated surveys designed to measure multiple dimensions of cyberbullying. In many studies, researchers favored the use of tailored instruments for each subpopulation. The use of complex questionnaires reflects growing sophistication in the field, but it also indicates a lack of agreement on which instrument to use. Of the nine studies that used instruments from previously published work, the most frequently referenced source was from Olweus ( 17 ) in three studies. In our analysis, 18 of the 22 (81.8%) studies were published in 2014 or 2015, which reflects the burgeoning state of the field of social media research and cyberbullying.

We agree with the conclusion posited by Berne et al . ( 15 ) that the lack of consensus regarding cyberbullying instruments reflects the fact that there is little agreement as to the exact concept being researched (i.e., cyberbullying, electronic bullying, and/or Internet harassment). In counterpoint, this may be the reason why researchers use multiple-dimension surveys: the instruments are used to account for the complexity of cyberbullying/harassment over social media, with specific measures geared toward various aspects of well-being. Another method used to handle complexity was to simplify the concept of cyberbullying for the subjects. Six studies (27.3%) supplied a statement that defined cyberbullying and then asked a direct question based on that definition (e.g., “How many times were you cyberbullied in the last months?”). Two papers (9.1%) went so far as to narrow the working definition of cyberbullying to refer to negative comments and/or embarrassing photos (n=2, 9.1%).

When evaluating the characteristics of the subpopulations, we found that the literature has advanced beyond limited objectives that estimate the frequency of cyberbullying. While 13 studies (59.1%) did report this value, the majority of papers (68.2%) focused on modeling the relationship between cyberbullying and other independent variables. A common question in many papers was, why do some people become cyberbullies, victims, or bystanders?

Unfortunately, there was little agreement among the studies when it came to interpreting how to distinguish these three categories. The high degree of variability in the findings is reflected in the large number of significant characteristics (17 for bullies and 21 for victims) and the minimal overlap between the findings. The most common characteristics of a bully and victim were found in only 20% and 18% of studies, respectively. In fact, one of the more consistent findings was that the variables were found to be not significant. In at least 3 (27.2%) papers that focused on victims, variables such as age, gender, and ethnicity were found to not be significantly related to cyberbullying, which suggests that the field remains relatively open.

Furthermore, the papers we reviewed did not reveal why bullies and victims assumed their respective roles. We did note that certain characteristics were common among cyberbullies (e.g., being a victim of bullying themselves), and among victims, symptoms of depression were common. More details about these characteristics are listed in Table 3 .

Finding a solution to cyberbullying was an implicit objective of the studies evaluated for this review, yet there was a lack of consensus among papers concerned with bullies or victims. However, the work on bystanders provided several interesting insights. Of the five papers that focused solely on bystanders, four were experimental studies that introduced interventions designed to influence bystander behavior. Several solutions to engaging bystanders are suggested, with the most common being social support for or against a bully. Two papers found that if others publicly disagreed with a bully, then a bystander was more likely to also disagree and intervene in favor of the victim. However, if others publicly joined the bully, then a bystander was more likely to agree with the bully and intervene in favor of the bully.

Several papers attempted to estimate the relationship between cyberbullying and another concept that could be impacted by cyberbullying. For example, in Cénat et al . ( 18 ) and Bauman and Baldasare ( 19 ), cyberbullying was used as an independent variable in a model that measured psychological distress as the dependent variable. Navarro and colleagues ( 20 ) conducted a similar analysis, but instead looked at the relationship between cyberbullying and happiness at school.

One limitation of our study was that we may not have evaluated enough papers to make firm conclusions. Four keyword combination searches were used in order to obtain the final selection of papers, but the literature on social media-based cyberbullying is new and evolving nearly as quickly as the technology itself. This made it difficult to create the most effective keyword searches. An additional limitation is that the study did not use a meta-analysis methodology, which may have proven useful for determining factors associated with the three subpopulations.

Future research should aim to create a standardized set of instruments to evaluate cyberbullying. While some studies appear to have made an important impact and informed the general approach to cyberbullying (e.g., the work of Olweus ( 17 )], the large number of multi-question surveys suggests a need for accurate, reliable instruments. Only with consistent reporting of the incidence and features of cyberbullying will we be able to develop focused prevention strategies.

Future research should aim to advance the cyberbully modeling work outlined in this review, which can be done in three suggested directions. The first suggestion relates to the lack of reliable instruments. This lack of consistency could be indicative of instruments that are not measuring the same concept or are failing to measure significant indications of cyberbullying. Furthermore, there was a significant degree of variability in the nature of the questions posed by the study authors. For example, some researchers focused their questions on negative comments to postings ( 21 ), some focused on the media that was used ( 22 ), others focused on the number of cyberbullying incidents during a particular time period ( 23 ), and still others focused on the emotional impact of the interaction ( 24 , 25 ). This suggests the need for a standardized set of questions that focuses on content and disregards platform.

The second suggestion is to improve study design. Asking a sample of young people their experience with cyberbullying is a sensitive and deeply personal topic for many youth (80.9% of the papers surveyed youth who were high school level or lower). One indication of this problem is that the average non-reply/refuse-to-participate rate was 39% in one study, and as high as 91% in another study. Moreover, most studies required parental consent, which was often obtained via a letter brought home by the student or mailed to parents by school administrators. These refusal rates suggest that many samples in the literature underrepresent the number of children affected by cyberbullying. One worrisome indication of this lack of representation is that the majority of independent variables were found to be insignificant in several studies ( 20 , 23 ). However, it is possible that the students most likely to be cyberbullied are also the most likely to not participate in a cyberbullying study.

The third suggestion is that researchers should limit their objectives and focus on specific aspects of subpopulations. Many studies started with a broad concept of cyberbullying and then designed a model with a similarly broad array of independent variables. By increasing specificity, future research could supply more practical results.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge Justin P. Smith for his assistance on the data analysis and a previous version of this manuscript. The authors wish to thank Claire Houlihan for her help conducting the literature review.

Funding: This work was funded by the National Institute on Mental Health and the University of California Office of the President Award to the University of California Institute for Prediction Technology.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

• Undergraduate
• High School
• Architecture
• American History
• Asian History
• Antique Literature
• American Literature
• Asian Literature
• Classic English Literature
• World Literature
• Creative Writing
• Linguistics
• Criminal Justice
• Legal Issues
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Political Science
• World Affairs
• African-American Studies
• East European Studies
• Latin-American Studies
• Native-American Studies
• West European Studies
• Family and Consumer Science
• Social Issues
• Women and Gender Studies
• Social Work
• Natural Sciences
• Pharmacology
• Earth science
• Agriculture
• Agricultural Studies
• Computer Science
• IT Management
• Mathematics
• Investments
• Engineering and Technology
• Engineering
• Aeronautics
• Medicine and Health
• Alternative Medicine
• Communications and Media
• Advertising
• Communication Strategies
• Public Relations
• Educational Theories
• Teacher's Career
• Chicago/Turabian
• Company Analysis
• Education Theories
• Shakespeare
• Canadian Studies
• Food Safety
• Relation of Global Warming and Extreme Weather Condition
• Movie Review
• Admission Essay
• Annotated Bibliography
• Application Essay
• Article Critique
• Article Review
• Article Writing
• Book Review
• Business Plan
• Business Proposal
• Capstone Project
• Cover Letter
• Creative Essay
• Dissertation
• Dissertation - Abstract
• Dissertation - Conclusion
• Dissertation - Discussion
• Dissertation - Hypothesis
• Dissertation - Introduction
• Dissertation - Literature
• Dissertation - Methodology
• Dissertation - Results
• GCSE Coursework
• Grant Proposal
• Marketing Plan
• Multiple Choice Quiz
• Personal Statement
• Power Point Presentation
• Power Point Presentation With Speaker Notes
• Questionnaire
• Reaction Paper
• Research Paper
• Research Proposal
• SWOT analysis
• Thesis Paper
• Online Quiz
• Literature Review
• Movie Analysis
• Statistics problem
• Math Problem
• All papers examples
• How It Works
• Money Back Policy
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• We Are Hiring

Social Media: Cyberbullying, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 521

Hire a Writer for Custom Essay

Use 10% Off Discount: "custom10" in 1 Click 👇

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

Social media is hailed as beneficial or detrimental by many. There is a constant argument as to whether the safety issues that social media presents is worth the entertainment value of being in constant contact with friends and family. Overall, it appears that social media has been detrimental to the emotional and educational growth of Americans over the past 10 years. While these applications have contributed to our ability to remain social, communications that occur over social media platforms have the ability to cause negative emotions and distract us from our work. Cyberbullying is related to both the reduction of emotional and educational growth of the population, and is it important to understand the relationships between these phenomena so that they could be put to an end.

Cyberbullying is responsible for the reduction of emotional growth of today’s children. Since children that use social media platforms are in constant communication with one another, there is an increased ability for bullying to occur without the knowledge of a parent or adult. As a consequence, many students are silently suffering from this victimization and there is no way to intervene with these attacks if the child does not report this abuse. Unfortunately, it is also challenging to trace back this behavior to a particular child even if it is reported. It is possible for parents to monitor their children’s social media profiles, but very frequently, parents elect to not do so in order to respect the privacy of their children. To prevent such behaviors, it is important to make children feel safe about reporting this negative treatment so that this harassment could be put to an end.

While many people argue that social media is distracting and therefore results in reduced grades, it is also important to consider that a major symptom of cyberbullying is a sudden drop in grades. Therefore, students who are bullied suffer from both an emotional and educational deficit. This indicates that it is important for schools to monitor the grades and behaviors of their students to determine whether they could be experiencing a traumatic event that is contributing to their failure to thrive. Since schools are considered responsible for both promoting a safe environment and academic growth, it is also the responsibility of the teachers and administration to detect and rectify problems related to cyberbullying. The decline in academic performance should be a red flag that raises concern of all adults involved in the child’s life, indicating the need for an intervention to take place.

In conclusion, social media is often said to have many advantages. However, when children are the victims of cyberbullying, their emotional and educational growth becomes stunted. It is therefore the responsibility of parents, administrators, and teachers to collaborate to recognize the symptoms of cyberbullying and to enact interventions as appropriate to ensure that these attacks are put to an end. As social media becomes more prevalent, it is likely that problems related to cyberbullying will continue to increase. Thus, it is necessary to determine systematic ways to prevent these cyberattacks from occurring, protecting the nation’s youth emotionally and academically before these problems become physical in nature.

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Not Maximizing One’s Potential, Essay Example

The New American Militarism, Essay Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Voting as a civic responsibility, essay example.

Pages: 1

Words: 287

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

Words: 356

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

Words: 448

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Pages: 8

Words: 2293

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 999

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

Words: 371

• 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.

Social Media and Cyberbullying

• First Online: 16 March 2023

Cite this chapter

• Jenna Margolis 3 &
• Dinara Amanbekova 3  

1461 Accesses

2 Citations

All over the world, teens are constantly engaged on social media: refreshing their Facebook feeds, liking a post on Instagram, sending a Snapchat message to their friends. In the United States, 95% of adolescents now have a smartphone and as mobile-optimized social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and others continue to grow in popularity, adolescents are spending more of their time navigating a complex virtual world. With this massive increase in virtual social participation comes the benefit of accessing information, gaining knowledge, and connecting with others, and the negative cost of social conflict, primarily in the form of cyberbullying. Studies demonstrate that cyberbullying, or the intentional harm of others through computers, cellphones, and other electronic devices, is becoming increasingly pervasive among youth. This impacts both the victim and the perpetrator. Being a victim of cyberbullying has various negative health implications, including increased rates of depression, suicidality, and substance use in youth.

This chapter aims to define cyberbullying in the context of social media and explore the wide-ranging impact that social media cyberbullying has on youth mental health. Recommendations for how parents, schools, and clinicians can help children navigate social media safely and approach cyberbullying are provided.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save.

• Get 10 units per month
• Download Article/Chapter or eBook
• 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
• Cancel anytime
• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Youth Perceptions of Online Harassment, Cyberbullying, and “just Drama”: Implications for Empathetic Design

Cyberbullying in the United States

Cyberbullying Experiences Among Marginalized Youth: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go Next?

John A, et al. Self-harm, suicidal behaviours, and cyberbullying in children and young people: systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2018;20(4):e129.

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Smith PK, et al. Cyberbullying: its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008;49(4):376–85.

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Triantafyllopoulou P, Clark-Hughes C, Langdon PE. Social media and cyber-bullying in autistic adults. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021:1–9.

Google Scholar  

What is cyberbullying. Stopbullying.gov [cited 2022 3/16/22]. www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/index.html .

Anaraky RG, et al. The dark side of social media: what makes some users more vulnerable than others? In Conference companion publication of the 2019 on computer supported cooperative work and social computing. 2019, Association for Computing Machinery: Austin, TX, USA. p. 185–189.

Giumetti GW, Kowalski RM. Cyberbullying via social media and well-being. Curr Opin Psychol. 2022;45:101314.

Kowalski RM, et al. Bullying in the digital age: a critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychol Bull. 2014;140(4):1073–137.

Campbell M, Bauman S. Reducing cyberbullying in schools: international evidence-based best practices; 2018.

Watts LK, Velasquez B, Behrens PI. Cyberbullying in higher education: a literature review. Comput Human Behav. 2017;69:268–74.

Article   Google Scholar  

Peled Y. Cyberbullying and its influence on academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. Heliyon. 2019;5(3):e01393.

10 forms of cyberbullying. Kids Safety 2015. https://kids.kaspersky.com/10-forms-of-cyberbullying/ .

Hamm MP, et al. Prevalence and effect of cyberbullying on children and young people: a scoping review of social media studies. JAMA Pediatr. 2015;169(8):770–7.

Englander E, et al. Defining cyberbullying. Pediatrics. 2017;140(Suppl 2):S148–s151.

Whittaker E, Kowalski RM. Cyberbullying via social media. J School Violence. 2015;14(1):11–29.

Hinduja SP, et al. Cyberbullying identification, prevention, and response. Cyberbullying Research Center; 2021. Cyberbullying.org .

Kowalski RM, Limber SP. Electronic bullying among middle school students. J Adolesc Health. 2007;41(6 Suppl 1):S22–30.

Nikolaou D. Does cyberbullying impact youth suicidal behaviors? J Health Econ. 2017;56:30–46.

Clair N.R.a.S.S., Yik Yak app disabled in Chicago amid principals' worries; 2014.

Anderson M, Teens JJ. Social media and technology 2018. Pew Research Center; 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/

Kutok ER, et al. A cyberbullying media-based prevention intervention for adolescents on instagram: pilot randomized controlled trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2021;8(9):e26029.

Aboujaoude E, et al. Cyberbullying: review of an old problem gone viral. J Adolesc Health. 2015;57(1):10–8.

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(2):125–33.

Hellstrand K, et al. Prevalence of cyberbullying in patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2021;37(6):e334–8.

PubMed   Google Scholar  

Andrew M, Jiang J. Social media and technology 2018. Pew Research Center; 2019. [cited 2022]. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/ .

Sampasa-Kanyinga H, Hamilton HA. Use of social networking sites and risk of cyberbullying victimization: a population-level study of adolescents. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2015;18(12):704–10.

Craig W, et al. Social media use and cyber-bullying: a cross-national analysis of young people in 42 countries. J Adolesc Health. 2020;66(6s):S100–s108.

McHugh MC, Saperstein SL, Gold RS. OMG U #Cyberbully! an exploration of public discourse about cyberbullying on twitter. Health Educ Behav. 2019;46(1):97–105.

Juvonen J, Gross EF. Extending the school grounds?--Bullying experiences in cyberspace. J Sch Health. 2008;78(9):496–505.

Kowalski RM, et al. Racial differences in cyberbullying from the perspective of victims and perpetrators. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2020;90(5):644–52.

Zhu C, et al. Cyberbullying among adolescents and children: a comprehensive review of the global situation, risk factors, and preventive measures. Front Public Health. 2021;9:634909.

Chan TKH, Cheung CMK, Lee ZWY. Cyberbullying on social networking sites: a literature review and future research directions. Information Management. 2021;58(2):103411.

Wegge D, et al. The strong, the weak, and the unbalanced: the link between tie strength and cyberaggression on a social network site. Social Sci Comput Rev. 2015;33(3):315–42.

Peluchette JV, et al. Cyberbullying victimization: do victims’ personality and risky social network behaviors contribute to the problem? Comput Human Behav. 2015;52:424–35.

Boer M, et al. Social media use intensity, social media use problems, and mental health among adolescents: investigating directionality and mediating processes. Comput Human Behav. 2021;116:106645.

Schacter HL, Greenberg S, Juvonen J. Who's to blame?: The effects of victim disclosure on bystander reactions to cyberbullying. Comput Human Behav. 2016;57:115–21.

Müller CR, et al. Does media use lead to cyberbullying or vice versa? Testing longitudinal associations using a latent cross-lagged panel design. Comput Human Behav. 2018;81:93–101.

Ademiluyi A, Li C, Park A. Implications and preventions of cyberbullying and social exclusion in social media: systematic review. JMIR Form Res. 2022;6(1):e30286.

Hoge E, Bickham D, Cantor J. Digital media, anxiety, and depression in children. Pediatrics. 2017;140(Suppl 2):S76–s80.

Marengo N, et al. Cyberbullying and problematic social media use: an insight into the positive role of social support in adolescents-data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Italy. Public Health. 2021;199:46–50.

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Fisher BW, Gardella JH, Teurbe-Tolon AR. Peer cybervictimization among adolescents and the associated internalizing and externalizing problems: a meta-analysis. J Youth Adolesc. 2016;45(9):1727–43.

Williams KR, Guerra NG. Prevalence and predictors of internet bullying. J Adolesc Health. 2007;41(6 Suppl 1):S14–21.

Machimbarrena JM, et al. Internet risks: an overview of victimization in cyberbullying, cyber dating abuse, sexting, online grooming and problematic internet use. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(11)

Peng Z, et al. Associations between Chinese adolescents subjected to traditional and cyber bullying and suicidal ideation, self-harm and suicide attempts. BMC Psychiatry. 2019;19(1):324.

Morin HK, Bradshaw CP, Kush JM. Adjustment outcomes of victims of cyberbullying: the role of personal and contextual factors. J Sch Psychol. 2018;70:74–88.

Connell NM, et al. Badgrlz? Exploring sex differences in cyberbullying behaviors. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice. 2014;12(3):209–28.

Cross D, et al.. Australian covert bullying prevalence study; 2009.

Li Q. Cyberbullying in schools: a research of gender differences. School Psychol Int. 2006;27(2):157–70.

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Hemphill SA, Heerde JA. Adolescent predictors of young adult cyberbullying perpetration and victimization among Australian youth. J Adolescent Health. 2014;55(4):580–7.

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.

PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Navarro R, Yubero S, Larrañaga E. Cyberbullying across the globe: gender, family, and mental health. Springer; 2015.

Zych I, Ortega-Ruiz R, Del Rey R. Systematic review of theoretical studies on bullying and cyberbullying: facts, knowledge, prevention, and intervention. Aggression Violent Behav. 2015;23:1–21.

Hinduja S, Patchin JW. Personal information of adolescents on the Internet: a quantitative content analysis of MySpace. J Adolesc. 2008;31(1):125–46.

Slonje R, Smith PK. Cyberbullying: another main type of bullying? Scand J Psychol. 2008;49(2):147–54.

Ybarra ML, et al. Examining characteristics and associated distress related to Internet harassment: findings from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey. Pediatrics. 2006;118(4):e1169–77.

McLoughlin LT, et al. Neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying: a pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Hum Brain Mapp. 2020;41(6):1495–504.

Chang FC, et al. Relationships among cyberbullying, school bullying, and mental health in Taiwanese adolescents. J Sch Health. 2013;83(6):454–62.

Kokkinos CM, Baltzidis E, Xynogala D. Prevalence and personality correlates of Facebook bullying among university undergraduates. Comput Human Behav. 2016;55:840–50.

Vitoroulis I, Vaillancourt T. Meta-analytic results of ethnic group differences in peer victimization. Aggress Behav. 2015;41(2):149–70.

Goebert D, et al. The impact of cyberbullying on substance use and mental health in a multiethnic sample. Matern Child Health J. 2011;15(8):1282–6.

Edwards L, Kontostathis AE, Fisher C. Cyberbullying, race/ethnicity and mental health outcomes: a review of the literature. Media Commun. 2016;4:71.

Wang J, Iannotti RJ, Nansel TR. School bullying among adolescents in the United States: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. J Adolesc Health. 2009;45(4):368–75.

Cassidy W, Faucher C, Jackson M. Adversity in university: cyberbullying and its impacts on students, faculty and administrators. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(8)

Alrajeh SM, et al. An investigation of the relationship between cyberbullying, cybervictimization and depression symptoms: a cross sectional study among university students in Qatar. PLoS One. 2021;16(12):e0260263.

Article   CAS   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Abreu RL, Kenny MC. Cyberbullying and LGBTQ Youth: a systematic literature review and recommendations for prevention and intervention. J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2018;11(1):81–97.

Albdour M, et al. The impact of cyberbullying on physical and psychological health of arab american adolescents. J Immigr Minor Health. 2019;21(4):706–15.

Viner RM, et al. Roles of cyberbullying, sleep, and physical activity in mediating the effects of social media use on mental health and wellbeing among young people in England: a secondary analysis of longitudinal data. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2019;3(10):685–96.

Kashy-Rosenbaum G, Aizenkot D. Exposure to cyberbullying in WhatsApp classmates‘ groups and classroom climate as predictors of students‘ sense of belonging: a multi-level analysis of elementary, middle and high schools. Children Youth Services Rev. 2020;108:104614.

Mitchell KJ, et al. What features make online harassment incidents upsetting to youth? J School Violence. 2016;15(3):279–301.

Kircaburun K, et al. Problematic online behaviors among adolescents and emerging adults: associations between cyberbullying perpetration, problematic social media use, and psychosocial factors. Int J Mental Health Addiction. 2019;17:891–908.

Giordano AL, Prosek EA, Watson JC. Understanding adolescent cyberbullies: exploring social media addiction and psychological factors. J Child Adolescent Counseling. 2021;7(1):42–55.

Saridakis G, et al. Individual information security, user behaviour and cyber victimisation: an empirical study of social networking users. Technol Forecasting Social Change. 2016;102:320–30.

Ho M, Quynh TT, Gu P, Chuanhua. Cyberbullying victimization and depression: self-esteem as a mediator and approach coping strategies as moderators. J Am College Health. 2021:1–8.

Liu C, Liu Z, Yuan G. The longitudinal influence of cyberbullying victimization on depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms: the mediation role of rumination. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2020;34(4):206–10.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Child Study Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Jenna Margolis & Dinara Amanbekova

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine NewYork-Presbyterian, New York, NY, USA

Alma Spaniardi

Office of Mental Health-New York City Children’s Center, New York, NY, USA

Janki Modi Avari

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Margolis, J., Amanbekova, D. (2023). Social Media and Cyberbullying. In: Spaniardi, A., Avari, J.M. (eds) Teens, Screens, and Social Connection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24804-7_6

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24804-7_6

Published : 16 March 2023

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-031-24803-0

Online ISBN : 978-3-031-24804-7

eBook Packages : Medicine Medicine (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

The Impact of Cyberbullying on Mental Health

• Download PDF Copy

What is cyberbullying? The role of social media in cyberbullying The mental health of cyberbullies Similarities and differences to conventional bullying Preventing and lessening the psychological harm of cyberbullying References  Further reading 

Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of electronic devices and is prone to causing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety for both the victim and perpetrator. Cyberbullying can come in many forms, such as texting derogatory messages, sending threatening e-mails, forwarding confidential pictures or messages, or posting on social media forums, and can become just as serious as traditional bullying.

Image Credit: Mary Long/Shutterstock.com

What is cyberbullying?

Bullying is deliberate and unprovoked aggressive behavior that is actioned repeatedly, usually by someone in a position of power over the victim, be it physical, social, or psychological, in an effort to cause harm. Cyberbullying specifies this action when performed via electronic devices, over the internet, or by texting and calling.

Clearly, physical interactions are limited over remote devices. Thus, cyberbullying usually takes the form of repeated offensive, threatening, humiliating, or otherwise harmful interactions, often with added complications owing to the anonymity and around-the-clock access of cyberbullies to their victims.

The form that bullying takes and the frequency with which it occurs varies culturally and demographically, though it occurs amongst children and teens at similar rates despite wealth and education level. Over a quarter of adolescents are involved in traditional bullying as bullies, victims, or both, and it is thought that rates of cyberbullying are likely similar or higher.

The role of social media in cyberbullying

As people become more familiarized with and exposed to social media, the opportunity to cyberbully increases. Social media platforms that allow free and open commenting can become a very fearful environment for cyberbullying victims, where threats, aggressive, demotivating, or offensive comments or messages, or edited pictures or videos, can be made and shared outside of the victim's control before they have chance to respond.

Embarressment over the issue can lead to people hiding online bullying from their friends and family in real life, further fuelling feelings of isolation, depression, and anxiety. A lack of awareness and support can also create a barrier for the victims to open up about their problems and lead to unstable mental health.

Image Credit: RoBird/Shutterstock.com

The mental health of cyberbullies

Studies on the psychology of traditional bullies show that they tend to feel more positive attitudes toward aggressive retaliation, indifference or satisfaction when bullying or seeing others bullied and that the victim deserves it. Unsurprisingly, these individuals often show a weak or moderate relationship between empathy and bullying others.

The greater anonymity and wider audience available to cyberbullies have been thought to play into feelings of power experienced by cyberbullies. The lack of immediate response to their actions has been suggested to encourage even harsher bullying. Many cyberbullies are also traditional bullies, and the lack of empathy displayed by such individuals is likely to be magnified without direct human interaction and immediate response to their aggression.

Evidence shows that the constant and pervasive nature of cyberbullying frequently leads to more detrimental outcomes for victims than traditional bullying, particularly depression symptoms. Given this correlation, it has been speculated that the mental health effects of cyberbullying on the perpetrator could differ from that imposed on traditional bullies.

Related Stories

• Addressing the mental health crisis among prostate cancer patients
• Levels of anxiety among 9-11 year old's may instigate parental digital interruptions
• Legislative changes improve mental health care access for pregnant and postpartum women

Rates of stress, depression, and anxiety are higher amongst students involved in cyberbullying than those not, with Ybarra and Mitchell (2004) reporting that of those who cyberbullied, 39% dropped out of school, 37% showed delinquent behavior,  32% engaged in frequent substance abuse, and 16% were severely depressed. Other studies suggest that depression rates are lower amongst cyberbullies than traditional bullies, though, as mentioned, the two groups often strongly overlap.

Similarities and differences to conventional bullying

Demographically, female students show a higher risk of becoming depressed as a result of cyberbullying than male students and may be more likely to be involved as both perpetrators and victims. A study conducted by Beckman et al . (2009) showed that traditional victims of bullying were roughly equally likely to be male or female, while girls are somewhat more likely to be cyberbullied than boys.

Similarly, girls were equally likely to perpetrate cyberbullying as boys despite being less likely to engage in traditional bullying. Female bullies may be more likely to engage in aggressive psychological or social interactions than their male counterparts, rather than physical, which the anonymous and pervasive nature of cyberbullying may further facilitate.

A survey by Campbell et al . (2013) found that driving factors in cyberbullying include reduced social and contextual cues and a perceived lack of consequences. Several major reasons that a traditional bully may stop or avoid their actions in the first place are missing from the online context, such as empathy upon seeing how upset the victim is or fear of social consequences from peers and those in authority.

Preventing and lessening the psychological harm of cyberbullying

Education and dissemination of information around cyberbullying will help teach a new generation about online ethics and morals, encouraging the understanding that anonymous comments are not made in a vacuum and that the victim of cyberbullying is an object of empathy.

Image Credit: Pheelings media/Shutterstock.com

School counselors and mental health professionals working in the education sector play a vital role in helping students suffering from psychological symptoms due to cyberbullying. It is essential to educate the students and parents about cyberbullying and psychological symptoms to know how to report the bully or handle the issue when they encounter such circumstances.

People involved in bullying as bullies or victims seem to possess poor attachment towards parents and high rejection of peers. Seeking counseling or therapy can help with psychological problems and improve the coping mechanism. Empathy training, communication, and social skills can help the individual cope with the trauma. Interventions like group counseling, role-playing, group projects, discussion, and lectures have a very strong effect on preventing cyberbullying and helping with the mental health of the victims.

Removing anonymity from online spaces could also remove one of the major factors encouraging or allowing cyberbullying, though depending on the venue may present a safety or privacy concern to all involved.

• Skilbred-Fjeld, S., Reme, S. E., & Mossige, S. (2020). Cyberbullying involvement and mental health problems among late adolescents.  Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace ,  14 (1).
• Cowie, H. (2013). Cyberbullying and its impact on young people's emotional health and well-being.  The psychiatrist ,  37 (5), 167-170.
• Goebert, D., Else, I., Matsu, C., Chung-Do, J., & Chang, J. Y. (2011). The impact of cyberbullying on substance use and mental health in a multiethnic sample. Maternal and child health journal , 15(8), 1282-1286.
• Hase, C. N., Goldberg, S. B., Smith, D., Stuck, A., & Campain, J. (2015). Impacts of traditional bullying and cyberbullying on the mental health of middle school and high school students. Psychology in the Schools , 52(6), 607-617.
• Hutson, E., Kelly, S., & Militello, L. K. (2018). Systematic review of cyberbullying interventions for youth and parents with implications for evidence‐based practice. Worldviews on evidence ‐ based nursing , 15(1), 72-79.
• Campbell, M. A. et al. (2013). Do cyberbullies suffer too? Cyberbullies’ perceptions of the harm they cause to others and to their own mental health. School Psychology International , 34(6), 613-629.
• Zhu, C. et al . (2021). Cyberbullying Among Adolescents and Children: A Comprehensive Review of the Global Situation, Risk Factors, and Preventive Measures. Frontiers in public health . https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.6

Further Reading

• All Mental Health Content
• World mental health support and the effect of stigma and discrimination
• A Guide to Coping with Change
• Managing and Reducing Stress
• Analyzing the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health

Last Updated: Jan 5, 2023

Michael Greenwood

Michael graduated from the University of Salford with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 2023, and has keen research interests towards nanotechnology and its application to biological systems. Michael has written on a wide range of science communication and news topics within the life sciences and related fields since 2019, and engages extensively with current developments in journal publications.  

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

Greenwood, Michael. (2023, January 05). The Impact of Cyberbullying on Mental Health. News-Medical. Retrieved on August 23, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/health/The-Impact-of-Cyberbullying-on-Mental-Health.aspx.

Greenwood, Michael. "The Impact of Cyberbullying on Mental Health". News-Medical . 23 August 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/health/The-Impact-of-Cyberbullying-on-Mental-Health.aspx>.

Greenwood, Michael. "The Impact of Cyberbullying on Mental Health". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/health/The-Impact-of-Cyberbullying-on-Mental-Health.aspx. (accessed August 23, 2024).

Greenwood, Michael. 2023. The Impact of Cyberbullying on Mental Health . News-Medical, viewed 23 August 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/health/The-Impact-of-Cyberbullying-on-Mental-Health.aspx.

Suggested Reading

Staying safe from cyber bullying involves being mindful of what you share online, using privacy settings, promptly blocking and reporting any harassment, and seeking support when needed. Your well-being matters.

Cancel reply to comment

• Trending Stories
• Latest Interviews
• Top Health Articles

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Lindsey Hiebert and James Amugsi

In this interview, we explore global and local efforts to combat viral hepatitis with Lindsey Hiebert, Deputy Director of the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination (CGHE), and James Amugsi, a Mandela Washington Fellow and Physician Assistant at Sandema Hospital in Ghana. Together, they provide valuable insights into the challenges, successes, and the importance of partnerships in the fight against hepatitis.

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

In this interview conducted at Pittcon 2024, we spoke to Professor John Yates about capturing cardiomyocyte cell-to-cell heterogeneity via shotgun top-down proteomics.

A Discussion with Hologic’s Tim Simpson on the Future of Cervical Cancer Screening

Tim Simpson

Hologic’s Tim Simpson Discusses the Future of Cervical Cancer Screening.

Latest News

Newsletters you may be interested in

Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant

Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.

A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.

• Use of “Azthena” is subject to the terms and conditions of use as set out by OpenAI .
• Content provided on any AZoNetwork sites are subject to the site Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy .
• Large Language Models can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.

Great. Ask your question.

Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses. Read the full terms .

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions .

Provide Feedback

• Social Psychology
• Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying in the World of Teenagers and Social Media:: A Literature Review

• International Journal of Cyber Behavior 6(2):68-95

• Independent Researcher in Social Media. Areas include research ethics, education, cyberbullying, health and privacy

Discover the world's research

• 25+ million members
• 160+ million publication pages
• 2.3+ billion citations

• J PSYCHIATR MENT HLT
• Shaimaa Mohamed Amin
• Marwa Ahmed El-Sayed Mohamed
• Mona Metwally El-Sayed

• Quankamon Dejatiwongse Na Ayudhaya

• Nur Fathiah Ahmad

• Özlem Kaçkin

• Int J Innovat Tech Manag

• Kasey Jane R. Banci

• COMPUT HUM BEHAV

• Gustavo S. Mesch
• Lisa B. Song

• Charles E. Notar
• Sharon Padgett
• Jessica Roden
• David R Shaffer

• Shane J. Lopez
• C. R. Snyder
• E. Robinson

• Recruit researchers
• Join for free
• Login Email Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google Welcome back! Please log in. Email · Hint Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google No account? Sign up

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

• Teens and Cyberbullying 2022

Nearly half of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online, with physical appearance being seen as a relatively common reason why. Older teen girls are especially likely to report being targeted by online abuse overall and because of their appearance

Table of contents.

• Acknowledgments
• Methodology

Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand teens’ experiences with and views on bullying and harassment online. For this analysis, we surveyed 1,316 U.S. teens. The survey was conducted online by Ipsos from April 14 to May 4, 2022.

This research was reviewed and approved by an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, which is an independent committee of experts that specializes in helping to protect the rights of research participants.

Ipsos recruited the teens via their parents who were a part of its  KnowledgePanel , a probability-based web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. The survey is weighted to be representative of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who live with parents by age, gender, race, ethnicity, household income and other categories.

Here are the  questions used for this report , along with responses, and  its methodology .

While bullying existed long before the internet, the rise of smartphones and social media has brought a new and more public arena into play for this aggressive behavior.

Nearly half of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 (46%) report ever experiencing at least one of six cyberbullying behaviors asked about in a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 14-May 4, 2022. 1

The most commonly reported behavior in this survey is name-calling, with 32% of teens saying they have been called an offensive name online or on their cellphone. Smaller shares say they have had false rumors spread about them online (22%) or have been sent explicit images they didn’t ask for (17%).

Some 15% of teens say they have experienced someone other than a parent constantly asking them where they are, what they’re doing or who they’re with, while 10% say they have been physically threatened and 7% of teens say they have had explicit images of them shared without their consent.

In total, 28% of teens have experienced multiple types of cyberbullying.

Defining cyberbullying in this report

This report measures cyberbullying of teens using six distinct behaviors:

• Offensive name-calling
• Spreading of false rumors about them
• Receiving explicit images they didn’t ask for
• Physical threats
• Constantly being asked where they are, what they’re doing, or who they’re with by someone other than a parent
• Having explicit images of them shared without their consent

Teens who indicate they have personally experienced any of these behaviors online or while using their cellphone are considered targets of cyberbullying in this report. The terms “cyberbullying” and “online harassment” are used interchangeably throughout this report.

Age and gender are related to teens’ cyberbullying experiences, with older teen girls being especially likely to face this abuse

Teens’ experiences with online harassment vary by age. Some 49% of 15- to 17-year-olds have experienced at least one of the six online behaviors, compared with 42% of those ages 13 to 14. While similar shares of older and younger teens report being the target of name-calling or rumor spreading, older teens are more likely than their younger counterparts (22% vs. 11%) to say someone has sent them explicit images they didn’t ask for, an act sometimes referred to as cyberflashing ; had someone share explicit images of them without their consent, in what is also known as revenge porn (8% vs. 4%); or been the target of persistent questioning about their whereabouts and activities (17% vs. 12%).

While there is no gender difference in having ever experienced online abuse, teen girls are more likely than teen boys to say false rumors have been spread about them. But further differences are seen when looking at age and gender together: 15- to 17-year-old girls stand out for being particularly likely to have faced any cyberbullying, compared with younger teen girls and teen boys of any age. Some 54% of girls ages 15 to 17 have experienced at least one of the six cyberbullying behaviors, while 44% of 15- to 17-year-old boys and 41% of boys and girls ages 13 to 14 say the same. These older teen girls are also more likely than younger teen girls and teen boys of any age to report being the target of false rumors and constant monitoring by someone other than a parent.

White, Black and Hispanic teens do not statistically differ in having ever been harassed online, but specific types of online attacks are more prevalent among certain groups. 2 For example, White teens are more likely to report being targeted by false rumors than Black teens. Hispanic teens are more likely than White or Black teens to say they have been asked constantly where they are, what they’re doing or who they’re with by someone other than a parent.

There are also differences by household income when it comes to physical threats. Teens who are from households making less than $30,000 annually are twice as likely as teens living in households making $75,000 or more a year to say they have been physically threatened online (16% vs. 8%).

Beyond those differences related to specific harassing behaviors, older teen girls are particularly likely to say they experience multiple types of online harassment. Some 32% of teen girls have experienced two or more types of online harassment asked about in this survey, while 24% of teen boys say the same. And 15- to 17-year-olds are more likely than 13- to 14-year-olds to have been the target of multiple types of cyberbullying (32% vs. 22%).

These differences are largely driven by older teen girls: 38% of teen girls ages 15 to 17 have experienced at least two of the harassing behaviors asked about in this survey, while roughly a quarter of younger teen girls and teen boys of any age say the same.

Beyond demographic differences, being the target of these behaviors and facing multiple types of these behaviors also vary by the amount of time youth spend online. Teens who say they are online almost constantly are not only more likely to have ever been harassed online than those who report being online less often (53% vs 40%), but are also more likely to have faced multiple forms of online abuse (37% vs. 21%).

These are some of the findings from a Pew Research Center online survey of 1,316 U.S. teens conducted from April 14 to May 4, 2022.

Black teens are about twice as likely as Hispanic or White teens to say they think their race or ethnicity made them a target of online abuse

There are numerous reasons why a teen may be targeted with online abuse. This survey asked youth if they believed their physical appearance, gender, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation or political views were a factor in them being the target of abusive behavior online.

Teens are most likely to say their physical appearance made them the target of cyberbullying. Some 15% of all teens think they were cyberbullied because of their appearance.

About one-in-ten teens say they were targeted because of their gender (10%) or their race or ethnicity (9%). Teens less commonly report being harassed for their sexual orientation or their political views – just 5% each.

Looking at these numbers in a different way, 31% of teens who have personally experienced online harassment or bullying think they were targeted because of their physical appearance. About one-in-five cyberbullied teens say they were targeted due to their gender (22%) or their racial or ethnic background (20%). And roughly one-in-ten affected teens point to their sexual orientation (12%) or their political views (11%) as a reason why they were targeted with harassment or bullying online.

The reasons teens cite for why they were targeted for cyberbullying are largely similar across major demographic groups, but there are a few key differences. For example, teen girls overall are more likely than teen boys to say they have been cyberbullied because of their physical appearance (17% vs. 11%) or their gender (14% vs. 6%). Older teens are also more likely to say they have been harassed online because of their appearance: 17% of 15- to 17-year-olds have experienced cyberbullying because of their physical appearance, compared with 11% of teens ages 13 to 14.

Older teen girls are particularly likely to think they have been harassed online because of their physical appearance: 21% of all 15- to 17-year-old girls think they have been targeted for this reason. This compares with about one-in-ten younger teen girls or teen boys, regardless of age, who think they have been cyberbullied because of their appearance.

A teen’s racial or ethnic background relates to whether they report having been targeted for cyberbullying because of race or ethnicity. Some 21% of Black teens report being made a target because of their race or ethnicity, compared with 11% of Hispanic teens and an even smaller share of White teens (4%).

There are no partisan differences in teens being targeted for their political views, with 5% of those who identify as either Democratic or Republican – including those who lean toward each party – saying they think their political views contributed to them being cyberbullied.

Black or Hispanic teens are more likely than White teens to say cyberbullying is a major problem for people their age

In addition to measuring teens’ own personal experiences with cyberbullying, the survey also sought to understand young people’s views about online harassment more generally.

The vast majority of teens say online harassment and online bullying are a problem for people their age, with 53% saying they are a major problem. Just 6% of teens think they are not a problem.

Certain demographic groups stand out for how much of a problem they say cyberbullying is. Seven-in-ten Black teens and 62% of Hispanic teens say online harassment and bullying are a major problem for people their age, compared with 46% of White teens. Teens from households making under $75,000 a year are similarly inclined to call this type of harassment a major problem, with 62% making this claim, compared with 47% of teens from more affluent homes. Teen girls are also more likely than boys to view cyberbullying as a major problem.

Views also vary by community type. Some 65% of teens living in urban areas say online harassment and bullying are a major problem for people their age, compared with about half of suburban and rural teens.

Partisan differences appear as well: Six-in-ten Democratic teens say this is a major problem for people their age, compared with 44% of Republican teens saying this.

Roughly three-quarters of teens or more think elected officials and social media sites aren’t adequately addressing online abuse

In recent years, there have been several initiatives and programs aimed at curtailing bad behavior online, but teens by and large view some of those behind these efforts – including social media companies and politicians – in a decidedly negative light.

According to teens, parents are doing the best of the five groups asked about in terms of addressing online harassment and online bullying, with 66% of teens saying parents are doing at least a good job, including one-in-five saying it is an excellent job. Roughly four-in-ten teens report thinking teachers (40%) or law enforcement (37%) are doing a good or excellent job addressing online abuse. A quarter of teens say social media sites are doing at least a good job addressing online harassment and cyberbullying, and just 18% say the same of elected officials. In fact, 44% of teens say elected officials have done a poor job addressing online harassment and online bullying.

Teens who have been cyberbullied are more critical of how various groups have addressed online bullying than those who haven’t

Teens who have experienced harassment or bullying online have a very different perspective on how various groups have been handling cyberbullying compared with those who have not faced this type of abuse. Some 53% of teens who have been cyberbullied say elected officials have done a poor job when it comes to addressing online harassment and online bullying, while 38% who have not undergone these experiences say the same (a 15 percentage point gap). Double-digit differences also appear between teens who have and have not been cyberbullied in their views on how law enforcement, social media sites and teachers have addressed online abuse, with teens who have been harassed or bullied online being more critical of each of these three groups. These harassed teens are also twice as likely as their peers who report no abuse to say parents have done a poor job of combatting online harassment and bullying.

Aside from these differences based on personal experience with cyberbullying, only a few differences are seen across major demographic groups. For example, Black teens express greater cynicism than White teens about how law enforcement has fared in this space: 33% of Black teens say law enforcement is doing a poor job when it comes to addressing online harassment and online bullying; 21% of White teens say the same. Hispanic teens (25%) do not differ from either group on this question.

Large majorities of teens believe permanent bans from social media and criminal charges can help reduce harassment on the platforms

Teens have varying views about possible actions that could help to curb the amount of online harassment youth encounter on social media.

While a majority of teens say each of five possible solutions asked about in the survey would at least help a little, certain measures are viewed as being more effective than others.

Teens see the most benefit in criminal charges for users who bully or harass on social media or permanently locking these users out of their account. Half of teens say each of these options would help a lot in reducing the amount of harassment and bullying teens may face on social media sites.

About four-in-ten teens think that if social media companies looked for and deleted posts they think are bullying or harassing (42%) or if users of these platforms were required to use their real names and pictures (37%) it would help a lot in addressing these issues. The idea of forcing people to use their real name while online has long existed and been heavily debated: Proponents see it as a way to hold bad actors accountable and keep online conversations more civil , while detractors believe it would do little to solve harassment and could even  worsen it .

Three-in-ten teens say school districts monitoring students’ social media activity for bullying or harassment would help a lot. Some school districts already use digital monitoring software to help them identify worrying student behavior on school-owned devices , social media and other online platforms . However, these programs have been met with criticism regarding privacy issues , mixed results and whether they do more harm than good .

Having personally experienced online harassment is unrelated to a teen’s view on whether these potential measures would help a lot in reducing these types of adverse experiences on social media. Views do vary widely by a teen’s racial or ethnic background, however.

Black or Hispanic teens are consistently more optimistic than White teens about the effectiveness of each of these measures.

Majorities of both Black and Hispanic teens say permanently locking users out of their account if they bully or harass others or criminal charges for users who bully or harass on social media would help a lot, while about four-in-ten White teens express each view.

In the case of permanent bans, Black teens further stand out from their Hispanic peers: Seven-in-ten say this would help a lot, followed by 59% of Hispanic teens and 42% of White teens.

• It is important to note that there are various ways researchers measure youths’ experiences with cyberbullying and online harassment. As a result, there may be a range of estimates for how many teens report having these experiences. In addition, since the Center last polled on this topic in 2018, there have been changes in how the surveys were conducted and how the questions were asked. For instance, the 2018 survey asked about bullying by listing a number of possible behaviors and asking respondents to “check all that apply.” This survey asked teens to answer “yes” or “no” to each item individually. Due to these changes, direct comparisons cannot be made across the two surveys. ↩
• There were not enough Asian American teen respondents in the sample to be broken out into a separate analysis. As always, their responses are incorporated into the general population figures throughout the report. ↩

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Fresh data delivery Saturday mornings

Sign up for The Briefing

Weekly updates on the world of news & information

• Online Harassment & Bullying
• Teens & Tech
• Teens & Youth

Teens and Video Games Today

How teens and parents approach screen time, teens, social media and technology 2023, teens and social media: key findings from pew research center surveys, gun deaths among u.s. children and teens rose 50% in two years, most popular, report materials.

901 E St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

© 2024 Pew Research Center

Voicenotes is better than Otter AI? Here’s Why

Subhasree Nag , 2 mins ago

Resources for Apartment Lobby Management

Subhasree Nag , 24 mins ago

Fintech Innovations On Social Media

Subhasree Nag , 1 hour ago

Examining How Social Media Can Increase Vulnerability to Sexual Assault

Subhasree Nag , 1 day ago

Designing a Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program that Resonates with Employees

Let’s Go On A Ride With 100 Best Car Captions For Instagram

Subhasree Nag , 2 days ago

Surveillance Tools: How They Shape Our Digital Landscape

How Local Insights Can Elevate Your SEO Game

Exploring the Impact of Essay Writing Services on Student Life

Subhasree Nag , 3 days ago

The Dark Side Of Social Media: Addressing Cyberbullying In Essays

Barsha Bhattacharya

Social media benefits society and students by increasing connectivity. It offers the freedom of sharing ideas where users express themselves without fear. It supports collaboration among students and is a tool that enhances learning. Social media has a dark side since it can be destructive. The channels may expose young people to inappropriate content. One of the worst dark sides is cyberbullying.

Some people often use it to harass other users. They may upload threatening posts or seek to embarrass someone. Cyberbullying negative effects range from serious mental health to suicide and poor performance in academics. Essays about cyberbullying can help address its effects and prevalence.

How Social Media And Cyberbullying Work

Cyberbullying can happen to anyone, and you could be the target at some point. It can affect your mental health and ability to write creatively. You might not be affected by cyberbullies, but you could still be unable to write your essays due to other reasons. No matter the reason, seek help to get tailor-made essay solutions from top writers.

There are many essay writing sites to use, but the quality may differ significantly. For the best outcomes, the college essay help service is being used the most by students worldwide. The writers take care of the ordered essays to ensure that the final result is always outstanding.

Cyberbullying may take different forms and occur through different online channels. Social media is the most leveraged for spreading the vice. It is highly prevalent on campuses and mainly spread through malice. Students open group accounts on campus for socialization. However, the same groups can be used to tarnish the images of other users.

Its prevalence may range from 10% and rise to over 70%, depending on the region. The reasons for bullying others online may differ significantly. Someone may do it because the other person hurt them. It could be that they had a relationship, and it broke. It could also be because they hate them for nothing. Some students cyberbully others due to their race or color. It could be based on the person’s gender or nationality.

Nowadays, sexual orientation and social status can be catalysts for bullying others online. It begins when the bully posts messages or inappropriate media directed toward their target. Their main intention is to shame them within the student community or beyond.

Once they share the demeaning posts, the rumor or information spreads quickly among the student community. Other users may begin to respond negatively, and soon, the message begins to trend. The cyberbullying posts may include the following or more.

• Uploading visuals (videos or photos) of the targeted person on social channels.
• Posting threatening information
• Abusing the person
• Uploading information that impersonates the target

Cyberbullying Side Effects On The Targeted Individual

Teenagers using social media offers them benefits. However, they could misuse the channels and begin to bully others. Some types of cyberbullying could be termed minor, and others major. No matter the description given, they all have common effects. The goal of the bully is always to paint a negative personality of their target. In most cases, their goal succeeds, and they enjoy it. Unfortunately, the targeted individual is left crying and in pain.

The effect could be short-term, but in some cases, the effects stay on for many years. In some instances, the bully could be affected up to a certain degree. This happens when they realize the distraction they caused their target. Irrespective of this, the most affected is the target. Different studies show the effect of cyberbullying as follows.

Mental Health

A person with good mental health and positive feelings feels free and energetic. They feel secure and live a fulfilled life. All that can be drained away by simple cyberbullying. Studies show cyberbullying effects on mental health are significant. The happiness in the person vanishes, and their security turns into insecurity. Poor mental health can be classified into different levels.

Effect On Academics

Reports published on different platforms show online bullying seriously affects education. The targeted person may suffer mentally. They might feel hated and miss school. The student might seek solitude and fail to share learning experiences with others. They lose interest in learning and record deteriorated performance.

Effects On Physical Health

The person suffers many physical health challenges. Some of them may fail to eat and become weak. Some may overeat and develop many weight challenges. They may lock themselves away and fail to exercise or socialize. All these things affect their physical health.

Studies show at least 8% of students affected by cyberbullying may commit suicide. Some of them develop the thoughts, but they do not implement them. The reasons may differ, but most of them feel life is not giving them a chance to live. They feel like everyone hates them and look for a way to be away from them. They see suicide as the best option.

New cyberbullying cases keep coming on campus now and then. In the end, the uploaded message gets blown out of proportion. If it is targeted at you, it could affect your ability to study or even write essays. Many other issues may prevent you from writing good essays. You may lack time or have too much to handle. Getting writing help with your essays lets you focus on the issues at hand or relax. Before you give your order, search to ensure you are using the best homework help website . This is the place where you can find top essay writers with deep experience.

Dealing With Cyberbullying Through Writing

Different interventions can help deal with the problem of cyberbullying. One of the effective ways is to write about it. It can be done to prevent it or to offer support to victims. What is most important is to create awareness. The writer can create attention-catching essays that address the topic from different angles.

They may describe what cyberbullying means and its effects. They can write about its prevention and actions to help victims. When the texts are shared on the same social platforms, they can help increase awareness. They can also be posted on various edtech platforms to help limit the risks and prevalence through education.

The texts may address the triggers and ways to identify if someone is suffering the effects. Educational institutions need to create a supportive environment at schools. They need to talk about peer and social influence, including being mindful of one another. The school cannot ignore cyberbullying but should be proactive when dealing with the issue.

The school’s social media platform and resource website are significant. Educators need to support students to write about the problem and publish the essays on the school’s social page and website. The information contained therein should be good quality and resonating. It encourages students to read so that they can benefit from it.

Bullying in schools has been a serious problem for many years. The internet and social media took it to a whole new level. Today, up to 70% of students experience different levels of cyberbullying. The perpetrator targets their victim, aiming to shame them. The victim could suffer mental and physical health issues. It affects their education and social life. Schools can help stop the vice by encouraging students to write essays about it. The texts can then be published on the school’s social media page to encourage reading and sharing.

• Taking A Look At The New Perspective Of UX Design And SEO
• Why Do You Need Web Design Services? – All You Need To Know
• Solving Complex Business Problems with AI Big Data Analytics

Barsha Bhattacharya is a senior content writing executive. As a marketing enthusiast and professional for the past 4 years, writing is new to Barsha. And she is loving every bit of it. Her niches are marketing, lifestyle, wellness, travel and entertainment. Apart from writing, Barsha loves to travel, binge-watch, research conspiracy theories, Instagram and overthink.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How To Find A Lawyer Using Social Media In 2024?

Why I Don’t Recommend Social Media Posting After An Accident

Social Media

Subscribe newsletter.

Bullying on Social Media Platforms Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

General background, existing measures and potential solutions, works cited.

It goes without saying that under the influence of technological progress, social networks have become an intrinsic part of people’s everyday life. The development of mobile phones and other hand-held devices currently provides instant access to social media from almost any location. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms allow individuals to share photos, texts, and video instantly, express their opinions, demonstrate their talents, and communicate with relatives and friends from all over the world. In addition, social media has become highly essential for business as companies have received an opportunity to advertise their services or products and communicate with customers in order to improve performance. At the same time, the growing popularity of social media platforms has led to a highly disturbing issue connected with unacceptable behavior – online, or cyber-, bullying. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this phenomenon and evaluate existing and potential solutions.

In the present day, cyberbullying is such a serious global problem with devastating consequences that it is frequently regarded as a threat to public health (Al-Rahmi et al. 2978). In general, bullying is defined as “aggressive behavior that is repetitive and results in a power differential” (National Institute of Justice par. 3). Thus, cyberbullying is a particular form of harassment that occurs in the mediums of digital communication, including social media platforms, chat rooms, internet forums, and text messages. It is consistent and repeating, taking advantage of the Internet’s anonymity with the main goal to anger, scare, or shame a victim. The most common goals of online bullying are the following:

• Posting humiliating or embarrassing images or private details of a targeted person on his or her account or in public groups (UNICEF par. 3);
• The spread of abusive and malicious rumors;
• Sending threats or hurtful messages privately via messaging platforms;
• Blackmail and intimidation;
• Impersonating a victim and sending abusive messages to other users on his or her behalf;
• Online stalking, trolling, and catfishing.

According to recent statistics, more than 40% of adults in the United States have reported a personal experience of cyberbullying at least once in their lifetime (Johnson par. 1). At the same time, this phenomenon is more noticeable among young people, and in the present day, the rates of cyberbullying victimization among students across the globe are unprecedentedly high. For instance, approximately 70% of Portuguese adolescents and 50% of youths in Singapore mentioned being victims of online bullying (Al-Rahmi et al. 2978). Disturbing rates may be observed in Canada, Sweden, and other countries all over the world as well. In the United States, 36.5% of middle and high school students experienced cyberbullying a minimum of one time (Johnson sec. 1).

Online bullying has a highly negative impact on the mental health of targeted people. In general, it contributes to the occurrence and development of various psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness, phobias, and social exclusion. Physical symptoms may include various eating disorders, sleep disturbance, and gastrointestinal issues. Moreover, cyberbullying leads to a considerable range of negative feelings and emotions that include humiliation, anger, fear, embarrassment, isolation, and powerlessness. In most cases, children and adolescents have problems with academic progress. The most serious effects of online bullying are self-harm and suicidal thoughts that may lead to unacceptable health risks and even death (Nand et al. 695).

In general, the most obvious approach to cyberbullying from single individuals is to block an abuser. At the same time, victims should have an opportunity to inform social media platforms about the act of cyberbullying. An abusive comment’s screenshot or photo should be taken by a victim as evidence in order to make a complaint. In turn, platforms should be responsible for all users’ safety and develop particular guidelines and community standards in order to investigate reports and provide an adequate response to people who violate their terms and conditions. At the same time, although this approach may stop bullying in relation to a person, it cannot prevent this phenomenon in general.

It goes without saying that all people who have experienced being bullied need emotional support from family members and close friends. However, a considerable number of victims do not ask anyone for help for fear of being misunderstood, rejected, or maligned. That is why public organizations all over the world consider the significance of cyberbullying and its negative impact and create specific anti-bullying websites that offer anonymous psychological support for all individuals who report online bullying and require help. At the same time, there are always ways for improvement, and all projects dedicated to bullying should not only provide help but educate people about possible tactics to avoid or minimize cyberbullying. In addition, they should raise people’s awareness concerning the negative consequences of cyberbullying to stop potential abuse. Nevertheless, similar to the previously mentioned one, this solution is more effective for the management of cyberbullying’s consequences rather than its prevention, as well.

From a personal perspective, such a serious issue as cyberbullying needs a complex approach that requires improvement in multiple spheres. First of all, as previously mentioned, social media should become responsive to all reports dedicated to the acts of online bullying. In addition, they should develop adequate and fair responsive measures to demonstrate their intolerance to cyber-violence and introduce age limits to prevent the use of social media by small children who may be more seriously affected by abusive comments. Another important technique that may help in minimizing bullying is the encouragement of appropriate behavior and positive attitudes. For instance, there are multi-player games that offer their users particular rewards for excellent teamwork, leadership, and friendliness (Hinduja par. 5). Therefore, the same approach may be used for social media platforms.

At the same time, the government’s control of cyberbullying that is currently insufficient should be strengthened as well. Public education should include specific lessons dedicated to the impact of cyberbullying and its prevention and management in the curriculum of education facilities. This measure may be regarded as more efficient in comparison with online private information sources as it targets a considerably larger audience. In general, for the development of appropriate programs of identification and response to cyberbullying, it is essential to consider the following insights:

• The content of messages that constitutes bullying should be appropriately identified.
• Multiple methods should be used for the evaluation of the cases of cyberbullying as a self-report may present a subjective vision of a particular situation.
• In multiple cases, a strong association between online bullying and face-to-face bullying may be found during the investigation, especially in education facilities (National Institute of Justice par. 5).

Finally, criminal justice response to bullying on social media platform should be evaluated and improved as the absence of almost any punishment contributes to the global spread of cyberbullying. At the same time, in terms of legislation, this phenomenon may be identified as incitement to suicide as a person commits it due to humiliating content against himself. That is why there should be an opportunity to institute criminal proceedings against online abusers in the most serious cases of cyberbullying. However, for a fair response, the exact components of cyberbullying should be identified. In other words, a set of standards should be introduced according to which particular behavior will be defined as bullying. In addition, there should be specific systems, frameworks, and algorithms introduced that incorporate “latent or hidden variables with supervised learning to determine potential bullying cases resembling short blogging type texts such as Tweets” (Nand et al. 695). On the basis of these innovations, people should be protected from cyberbullying on social media platforms, and the efficiency of this approach is determined by the fact that the inevitability of punishment will stop a substantial number of potential abusers.

In the present day, cyberbullying has become a highly disturbing issue that affects millions of social media platform users all over the world physically, mentally, and emotionally. It may lead to anxiety, depression, loneliness, phobias, low self-esteem, social exclusion, sleep disturbance, various eating disorders, humiliation, anger, fear, powerlessness, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. That is why it is highly essential to develop a complex approach to the prevention of cyberbullying and mitigation of its negative consequences. Although the victims of cyberbullying may currently receive support from public organizations, the government and law enforcement agencies should pay particular attention to the development of adequate preventive measures.

Al-Rahmi, Waleed Mugahed, et al. “A Model of Factors Affecting Cyber Bullying Behaviors Among University Students.” IEEE , vol. 7, 2019, pp. 2978-2985.

Hinduja, Sameer. “How Social Media Companies Should Combat Online Abuse.” Cyberbullying Research Center , Web.

Johnson, Joseph. “Cyber Bullying – Statistics & Facts.” Statista , 2021, Web.

Nand, Parma, et al. ““How Bullying is this Message?”: A Psychometric Thermometer for Bullying.” Proceedings of COLING 2016, the 26th International Conference on Computational Linguistics: Technical Paper , 2016, pp. 695-706.

National Institute of Justice. “Teen Cyberbullying Content Assessed in the Context of Social Networks.” NIJ , 2020, Web.

UNICEF. “Cyberbullying: What Is It and How to Stop It.” unicef , 2021. Web.

• Postmodern Approach in Communications of Title IX
• Nongovernmental Organizations’ Association with Culture
• Cyberbullying Impact on Mental and Physical Health
• Cyberbullying: Definition, Forms, Groups of Risk
• Cyberbullying Impact on Teenagers
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Georgia
• The Generalist Model in Social Work
• Sociology of Organizations and Membership
• Poor Neighborhoods, Quality of Schools, and Social Mobility
• Discussion of Digital Divide and Its Impact
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, October 4). Bullying on Social Media Platforms. https://ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-on-social-media-platforms/

"Bullying on Social Media Platforms." IvyPanda , 4 Oct. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-on-social-media-platforms/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Bullying on Social Media Platforms'. 4 October.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Bullying on Social Media Platforms." October 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-on-social-media-platforms/.

1. IvyPanda . "Bullying on Social Media Platforms." October 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-on-social-media-platforms/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Bullying on Social Media Platforms." October 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-on-social-media-platforms/.

Cyber Bullying Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on cyber bullying.

Cyber Bullying Essay: In today’s world which has been made smaller by technology, new age problems have been born. No doubt technology has a lot of benefits; however, it also comes with a negative side. It has given birth to cyberbullying. To put it simply, cyberbullying refers to the misuse of information technology with the intention to harass others.

Subsequently, cyberbullying comes in various forms. It doesn’t necessarily mean hacking someone’s profiles or posing to be someone else. It also includes posting negative comments about somebody or spreading rumors to defame someone. As everyone is caught up on the social network, it makes it very easy for anyone to misuse this access.

In other words, cyberbullying has become very common nowadays. It includes actions to manipulate, harass and defame any person. These hostile actions are seriously damaging and can affect anyone easily and gravely. They take place on social media, public forums, and other online information websites. A cyberbully is not necessarily a stranger; it may also be someone you know.

Cyber Bullying is Dangerous

Cyberbullying is a multi-faced issue. However, the intention of this activity is one and the same. To hurt people and bring them harm. Cyberbullying is not a light matter. It needs to be taken seriously as it does have a lot of dangerous effects on the victim.

Moreover, it disturbs the peace of mind of a person. Many people are known to experience depression after they are cyberbullied. In addition, they indulge in self-harm. All the derogatory comments made about them makes them feel inferior.

It also results in a lot of insecurities and complexes. The victim which suffers cyberbullying in the form of harassing starts having self-doubt. When someone points at your insecurities, they only tend to enhance. Similarly, the victims worry and lose their inner peace.

Other than that, cyberbullying also tarnishes the image of a person. It hampers their reputation with the false rumors spread about them. Everything on social media spreads like wildfire. Moreover, people often question the credibility. Thus,  one false rumor destroys people’s lives.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How to Prevent Cyber Bullying?

Cyberbullying prevention is the need of the hour. It needs to be monitored and put an end to. There are various ways to tackle cyberbullying. We can implement them at individual levels as well as authoritative levels.

Firstly, always teach your children to never share personal information online. For instance, if you list your home address or phone number there, it will make you a potential target of cyberbullying easily.

Secondly, avoid posting explicit photos of yourself online. Also, never discuss personal matters on social media. In other words, keep the information limited within your group of friends and family. Most importantly, never ever share your internet password and account details with anyone. Keep all this information to yourself alone. Be alert and do not click on mysterious links, they may be scams. In addition, teach your kids about cyberbullying and make them aware of what’s wrong and right.

In conclusion, awareness is the key to prevent online harassment. We should make the children aware from an early age so they are always cautious. Moreover, parents must monitor their children’s online activities and limit their usage. Most importantly, cyberbullying must be reported instantly without delay. This can prevent further incidents from taking place.

FAQs on Cyber Bullying

Q.1 Why is Cyberbullying dangerous?

A.1 Cyberbullying affects the mental peace of a person. It takes a toll on their mental health. Moreover, it tarnishes the reputation of an individual.

Q.2 How to prevent cyberbullying?

A.2 We may prevent cyberbullying by limiting the information we share online. In addition, we must make children aware of the forms of cyberbullying and its consequences.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Essay on Cyber Bullying

Essay generator.

In the digital era, the internet and social media have transformed how we communicate, but they have also given rise to a sinister phenomenon: cyber bullying. This essay aims to dissect the issue of cyber bullying, exploring its definition, manifestations, impacts, and potential solutions, providing a comprehensive understanding for students engaging in essay writing competitions.

Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. Unlike traditional bullying, cyber bullying allows the perpetrator to hide behind a screen, often making them bolder in their actions and words.

The Scope and Manifestations

Cyber bullying can take many forms:

• Harassing Messages : Sending threatening or abusive texts or emails.
• Social Media Bullying : Spreading rumors or posting hurtful comments on social platforms.
• Impersonation : Creating fake profiles to ridicule or defame someone.
• Cyberstalking : Repeatedly sending messages that include threats of harm or are highly intimidating.
• Sharing Private Information : Distributing someone’s personal information without consent, often to embarrass or threaten them.

Prevalence and Statistics

The prevalence of cyber bullying is alarming. Studies suggest that a significant percentage of young people have experienced cyber bullying at some point. The anonymity of the internet, the ease of spreading information, and the 24/7 nature of digital media contribute to its increasing incidence.

Impact on Victims

The effects of cyber bullying can be devastating and long-lasting:

• Emotional Trauma : Victims may experience anxiety, depression, and a sense of isolation.
• Social Withdrawal : Fear of bullying can lead to avoiding social interactions both online and offline.
• Academic Impact : It can lead to a decline in academic performance and school avoidance.
• Physical Health : Chronic stress from bullying can manifest in physical health issues.
• Suicidal Ideation : In extreme cases, prolonged cyber bullying can lead to suicidal thoughts or actions.

The Psychology Behind Cyber Bullying

Understanding the mindset of cyber bullies is crucial:

• Anonymity : The internet provides a veil of anonymity, emboldening individuals who might not engage in bullying offline.
• Lack of Empathy : The digital barrier can desensitize individuals to the consequences of their actions.
• Power Dynamics : Some engage in cyber bullying to exert power or control over others.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Cyber bullying raises several legal and ethical issues:

Legal Considerations:

• Criminal Offense: In many jurisdictions, cyberbullying is considered a criminal offense, especially when it involves harassment, threats, or stalking online. Perpetrators can face charges such as harassment, cyberstalking, or even hate crimes in extreme cases.
• Age Restrictions: Laws often address cyberbullying differently for minors and adults. Special regulations, such as those under cyberbullying laws for minors, may apply to protect young victims or impose age-appropriate consequences on young offenders.
• Cyberbullying Legislation: Some regions have specific cyberbullying legislation that outlines legal consequences for offenders. For example, the United States has laws like “Grace’s Law” in Maryland, targeting cyberbullying.
• School Policies: Educational institutions often have policies in place to address cyberbullying among students. These policies may involve disciplinary actions or even expulsion in severe cases.
• Cyber Harassment Laws: Many jurisdictions have laws against cyber harassment, which encompass various forms of online abuse, including cyberbullying.

Ethical Considerations:

• Respect for Privacy: Ethical considerations emphasize the importance of respecting individuals’ privacy and not engaging in invasive or harmful online behavior.
• Digital Empathy: Practicing digital empathy involves being mindful of the impact of one’s online actions on others and promoting online kindness and respect.
• Cyberbullying Prevention: Ethical obligations include actively working to prevent cyberbullying, either by intervening as a bystander or reporting abusive behavior.
• Media Literacy: Promoting media literacy and critical thinking skills helps individuals discern between credible sources and misinformation, reducing the spread of harmful content.
• Online Accountability: Ethical behavior online includes taking responsibility for one’s actions, acknowledging mistakes, and making amends when necessary.
• Creating Safe Online Spaces: Ethical considerations call for the creation and maintenance of safe, inclusive online spaces where individuals can express themselves without fear of harassment.
• Educational Initiatives: Ethical efforts involve educating individuals, particularly young people, about the consequences of cyberbullying and promoting ethical online behavior.
• Supporting Victims: Ethical obligations extend to providing support and assistance to cyberbullying victims, ensuring they receive the help they need to cope with the emotional impact.

Role of Education and Awareness

Combatting cyber bullying requires a multifaceted approach:

• Awareness Campaigns : Educating young people about the harms of cyber bullying and promoting digital citizenship.
• Parental Involvement : Parents should be aware of their children’s online activities and foster open communication.
• School Policies : Implementing clear policies and programs in schools to address and prevent cyber bullying.

Technological Interventions

Technology can be part of the solution:

• Monitoring Tools : Software that can monitor online activities and flag potential bullying behavior.
• Reporting Mechanisms : Social media platforms should have easy and effective ways to report bullying.

Personal and Social Strategies

Individuals can take steps to protect themselves and others:

• Cyber Hygiene : Practicing safe online behavior, like keeping personal information private.
• Support Networks : Building a support network of friends, family, and counselors.
• Bystander Intervention : Encouraging those who witness cyber bullying to speak up or report it.

In conclusion, crafting an essay on cyberbullying requires a nuanced approach, combining research, empathy, and ethical awareness. This guide has offered valuable insights and tips to assist students in addressing this pressing issue effectively. By understanding its definition, impact, and prevention strategies, writers can create essays that raise awareness, promote empathy, and contribute to the ongoing fight against cyberbullying.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Generate an essay on the importance of extracurricular activities for student development

Write an essay discussing the role of technology in modern education.

Essay on Cyberbullying

Students are often asked to write an essay on Cyberbullying 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 Cyberbullying

What is cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is when someone uses the internet, cell phones, or other devices to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person. It can happen through a message, email, or on social media sites.

Forms of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can take many forms. It can be public or private. Some examples are mean text messages, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures or videos.

Effects of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can make a person feel sad, lonely, or scared. They may want to avoid school or social events. In severe cases, it might lead to depression or even suicide.

Preventing Cyberbullying

To prevent cyberbullying, don’t share private information online, and think before you post. Always treat others with respect. If you’re a victim, don’t respond or retaliate. Instead, save the evidence and report it.

Role of Schools and Parents

250 words essay on cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is when someone uses the internet to hurt, embarrass, or scare another person. It can happen on social media, in online games, or in messages. The person doing the bullying might send mean messages, share personal information, or post embarrassing photos.

Cyberbullying can make a person feel sad, scared, or alone. They might not want to go to school or spend time with friends. It can also affect their grades and their health. Some people might even think about hurting themselves because of cyberbullying.

How to Deal with Cyberbullying

If you are being bullied online, tell a trusted adult. This could be a parent, teacher, or school counselor. You can also report the bullying to the website or app where it happened. Most websites and apps have rules against bullying and can take action.

To help stop cyberbullying, be kind online. Think before you post or send a message. Ask yourself, “Would I want someone to say this to me?” If the answer is no, don’t post it. Also, stand up for others. If you see someone being bullied online, report it.

Remember, everyone deserves to feel safe and respected, both in person and online. By understanding and taking action against cyberbullying, we can make the internet a better place for everyone.

500 Words Essay on Cyberbullying

How cyberbullying happens.

Cyberbullying can happen in many ways. It can take place through social media sites, chat rooms, text messages, and emails. Sometimes, it can be public, like a mean comment on a social media post. Other times, it can be private, like a threatening text message. Cyberbullies can even create fake accounts to harass someone without revealing their identity.

Cyberbullying can hurt people deeply. It can make them feel scared, sad, or angry. It can also make them feel alone, like no one understands what they’re going through. Some people may even feel unsafe or worry about their reputation. In severe cases, cyberbullying can lead to mental health problems like depression and anxiety, or even self-harm.

What to Do If You’re Cyberbullied

If you’re being cyberbullied, remember it’s not your fault. Don’t respond to the bully, as it could make things worse. Instead, save the evidence and report it. You can report it to the website or app where it happened, or to an adult you trust. If the bullying is threatening or severe, you may even need to report it to the police.

Cyberbullying is a serious problem that can hurt people both emotionally and mentally. But by being respectful online, protecting our personal information, and knowing how to respond if we’re bullied, we can help stop cyberbullying. Remember, everyone deserves to feel safe and respected, both in person and online.

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

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Cyber Bullying — The Impact of Social Media and the Effects of Cyberbullying

The Impact of Social Media and The Effects of Cyberbullying

• Categories: Cyber Bullying Effects of Social Media

About this sample

Words: 1286 |

Published: Jan 15, 2019

Words: 1286 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Table of contents

Life-destructive consequences of social media usage, possible benefits of social media, works cited.

• Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2018). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and responding to cyberbullying. Corwin Press.
• Lenhart, A. (2015). Teens, social media & technology overview 2015. Pew Research Center.
• Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Smith, A., Purcell, K., Zickuhr, K., & Rainie, L. (2011). Teens, kindness, and cruelty on social network sites. Pew Research Center.
• Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Görzig, A., & Ólafsson, K. (2011). Risks and safety on the internet: The perspective of European children. EU Kids Online.
• O'Keeffe, G. S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-804.
• Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2018). Social media use and risky behaviors among adolescents. National Institutes of Health.
• Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(10), 652-657.
• Rideout, V. (2015). The common sense census: Media use by tweens and teens. Common Sense Media.
• Uhls, Y. T. (2017). Media multitasking and cognitive, psychological, neural, and learning differences. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S62-S66.
• Van den Eijnden, R. J., Lemmens, J. S., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2016). The social media disorder scale. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 478-487.

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

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Social Issues Sociology

+ 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

3 pages / 1297 words

5 pages / 2267 words

3 pages / 1235 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

Introduction: Dysfunction in society is a topic that has captivated the attention of sociologists for decades. It refers to a state of imbalance and disarray within social structures that hinder the smooth functioning of a [...]

Cyber bullying has become a prevalent issue in today's society, with the rise of social media and digital communication. This form of bullying involves the use of electronic devices to harass, intimidate, or harm others. In this [...]

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 [...]

Cyberbullying has become an alarming issue in today's digital age. With the widespread use of technology and social media platforms, individuals are increasingly vulnerable to online harassment and abuse. This essay explores the [...]

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 [...]

Bullying has become a major problem, and the use of the internet has just made it worse. Cyber bullying is bullying done by using technology; it can be done with computers, phones, and the biggest one social media. Children need [...]

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

Social media star Tristan Jass, CPS students team up against cyberbullying in Lincoln Park

Buckets over bullying hosted a back-to-school event at oz park to raise awareness against cyberbullying..

Social media creator Tristan Jass attempts a difficult layup during a basketball back-to-school event at Oz Park Aug. 22, 2024.

Emmanuel Camarillo/Sun-Times

Dozens of Chicago Public Schools students teamed up with social media star Tristan Jass on Thursday in Lincoln Park to stand against cyberbullying, ahead of the first day of school next week.

Jass, whose trickery with a basketball has earned him millions of followers on social media, played five-a-side pickup with the students at the Oz Park basketball courts, 2021 N. Burling St., and showed off the trick shots that garnered him such a big following.

The event was hosted by Buckets Over Bullying, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to stop cyberbullying of children and teens through education and with the help of sports.

“I’m in the social media world, I’m in the social media business, I see negative comments every single day, I’ve seen it all,” Jass said. “I just want to look out for any kids that are going through that.”

The free event also featured giveaways, a DJ booth, complimentary chicken wings and a half-court trick shot contest for a chance to win a basketball signed by Jass and Windy City Bulls guard Keifer Sykes, who also joined in the pickup games.

Students play a game of pickup at a basketball back to school event at Oz Park on Thursday.

About 50 children ranging from toddlers to teenagers took a turn on the court.

Buckets over Bullying was co-founded by Rob and Rose Bronstein, who lost their son Nate to suicide in 2022 after he was cyberbullied by students at the Latin School.

Paul Urdan, a co-founder of the group, says sports can be a release valve for frustration and anger. He encouraged any students who might be having a hard time in school to channel their frustrations into a sport.

“If something is going on in your life, get out there and play basketball or play some sport, take your aggressions and anger out by playing a sport, don’t take it out on your fellow friends or peers because you never know what they are going through, either,” Urdan said.

Students from the Lincoln Park High School basketball program were among those who showed up to show off their skills on the court.

Chayse Turner, 17, said the team came to support the community and have fun with kids who attended. He said he hadn’t experienced bullying but had seen it happen.

“I do my best to help whenever I see someone getting bullied,” said Turner, a senior who plays small forward for the team.

Keyshawn Barfield, 17, who plays center, says he loves basketball because it surrounds him with special people. He also hadn’t personally experienced bullying, but a close friend was bullied when he was younger and he has fought against it since.

“Being raised the way I was I automatically knew it was wrong,” Barfield said. “It’s not supposed to happen.”

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones

As the new school year starts, a wave of new laws that aim to curb distracted learning is taking effect in Indiana, Louisiana and other states.

By Natasha Singer

Natasha Singer covers technology in schools. She welcomes reader tips at nytimes.com/tips

Cellphones have become a school scourge. More than 70 percent of high school teachers say student phone distraction is a “major problem,” according to a survey this year by Pew Research .

That’s why states are mounting a bipartisan effort to crack down on rampant student cellphone use. So far this year, at least eight states have passed laws, issued orders or adopted rules to curb phone use among students during school hours.

The issue isn’t simply that some children and teenagers compulsively use apps like Snap, TikTok and Instagram during lessons, distracting themselves and their classmates. In many schools, students have also used their phones to bully, sexually exploit and share videos of physical attacks on their peers.

But cellphone restrictions can be difficult for teachers to enforce without schoolwide rules requiring students to place their phones in lockers or other locations.

Now state lawmakers, along with some prominent governors , are pushing for more uniform restrictions in public schools.

How Has Tech Changed Your School Experience?

Teachers, students, parents and school administrators, tell us in the form below about the technology benefits or tech-related school problems that you have observed. We’re interested in beneficial uses of school tech as well as classroom drawbacks like online learning distractions and cyberbullying.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

Treatment of Imane Khelif and Raygun tells a broader story of the dangers of social media

Topic: Social Media

Social media has made life hell for Imane Khelif and Raygun for very different reasons. ( AP, AAP )

Two incidents — both involving women competing in the Olympics — provide the latest grim proof of the often toxic, menacing and deranged nature of social media.

One was the treatment of Australian Rachael "Raygun" Gunn, who literally broke not just dance moves, but also social media when she became the target of hateful comments from internet trolls after her viral performance during the sport's Olympic debut.

The other, Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif, was the subject of a worldwide gender eligibility debate and was publicly trolled with vile and inaccurate bigotry across social platforms.

Now JK Rowling and Elon Musk have been named in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed in France by the Algerian boxer. On Wednesday, her attorney Nabil Boudi, said they had filed a criminal complaint over alleged "acts of cyber-harassment" to the Paris public prosecutor's office. The gold medallist said of her lawsuit: "All that is being said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people around the world."

Both these women — experts in their fields whether you like them or not — are adults, and therefore you'd hope they'd be more able to deal with the viciousness which has become public discourse, particularly online. But the fact that Raygun had to make a public appeal to be left alone, and Khelif is fighting back through the courts shows that we really are entering a new phase of the social media wars.

This is not to excuse the role of legacy media in this — that would be a mistake. The bullying of them both wasn't isolated to the online world. But it is without a doubt social media where the conspiracies and misinformation about both women grew, festered, and caused acute harm.

Can we clean up social media?

It's not just those in the public spotlight who are on the receiving end of social media nastiness.

The Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society has been hearing about how social media companies operate in Australia, including the impact they have, particularly on young people, and considering what changes the parliament needs to introduce to deal with what has become a collective crisis. They have been contemplating the big questions of what kind of regulation may be effective in Australia to reduce harm.

It is exploring the decision of Meta to abandon deals under the News Media Bargaining Code, the important role of Australian news and public interest journalism in countering misinformation and disinformation on digital platforms, and broader issues relating to the influences and impacts of what Australians see on social media. An interim report was meant to have landed last week, but it's been delayed because of changes on the committee.

The social media giants have been answering questions raised by politicians on this committee — and their answers show a constant state of defence of their current measures.

For instance, TikTok, well known for its addictive algorithm, says their systems are built around safety. In an answer provided to committee member Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie, TikTok said that for all users under the age of 18, "we have a 60-minute default screen time limit".

"While there's no collectively endorsed position on the 'right' amount of screen time or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we consulted the current academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital in choosing this limit," they said.

"For all users, irrespective of age, we make it easy to set screen time limits, so our community can select for themselves a screen time limit that they are comfortable with. We also provide in-app prompts when users have been on the app for a particular period of time, encouraging them to 'take a break'."

The spin is around how fantastic they are already at self-regulating and how they make it easy for individual users to "take a break". But have you tried to take a break on social media? The feedback loop makes it hard and putting the onus on the user alone is laughable.

A ban wouldn't stem the tide

While headlines about an age ban for social media are popular among parents who are bereft of ideas about how to moderate their children's engagement online, there is a growing consensus about forcing accountability of the tech giants to be transparent about the addictive algorithms they create.

In June, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pledged to ban under-16 year olds from accessing social media in the first 100 days of a Coalition government, blaming the platforms for "a high prevalence of many health conditions".

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed social media is having "a negative impact on young people", pledging $6.5 million to assess age assurance technologies that experts have argued may never work.

The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who joins us on Q+A tonight, has expressed concerns, comparing banning children younger than 16 from social media to banning them from the ocean.

"We don't fence the ocean or keep children entirely out of the water … but we do create protected swimming environments," she says.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. ( Four Corners: Keana Naughton )

In a written submission to the inquiry she warned that the debate around a complete ban for under-16s, enforced by age verification technology, contains a misconception that "social media is a discrete form of media that can be separated from the rest of the internet".

The regulator is worried that if faced with a ban, kids will just access social media in secret. And anyone who has a teenager knows that they are digital natives who laugh out loud at censorship arguments.

This is the concern of independent and committee member Zoe Daniel. She told the ABC law reform needed to reverse the onus onto the company not the user.

"I can understand why parents like it, it's a popular idea that may work in conjunction with other changes but on its own it's a bit of a sideshow," she said.

"It continues to put the onus on the user, which is not where it should be.

"The main game is making the social media companies accountable for the systems that target young people and cause them harm.

"The companies should be made to take responsibility for and be transparent about what they're doing to prevent and mitigate the spread of harmful and toxic content. Rather than targeting the content, we must target the systems."

Daniel told the ABC she is drafting a private member's bill along these lines which she will table later this year.

An experiment

Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie, who sits on the committee, says Australia must tackle the algorithms which feed young people dangerous material.

In a recent speech she revealed that she asked Reset.tech to run an experiment for her, to test how long it would take to get algorithms or systems to recommend Andrew Tate content to someone who was just curious about Jordan Peterson. Reset.tech set up a new 17-year-old male's account on Instagram on a completely fresh handset with a new SIM installed. The Instagram account was clean and there were no previous interactions or activity.

The new account watched and liked 50 of the top Peterson posts and then scrolled through the content being recommended on Instagram reels while continuing to watch and like posts containing Jordan Peterson. 

"After 70 pieces of content, the fake 17-year-old boy's account was recommended a video of Andrew Tate. The content featuring controversial misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate grew in frequency over the duration of experiment. Of the last 30 pieces of content that Reset.tech examined, 29 featured Andrew Tate," she told parliament.

"This experiment took under two hours to complete, meaning that a teenage boy showing an interest in the work of Jordan Peterson would encounter Andrew Tate within about an hour. If that teenage boy then watches or likes the Andrew Tate content by the two-hour mark, the system will almost exclusively feed him Tate content. So we can see that as our sons or daughters sit on the couch, heads down on social media, they're anything but safe."

It's time to end the moral panic and engage in reality — young people don't live in a binary where the online world is separate to the real world.

There is a political consensus across the parliament that there is an urgency for reform that actually works and holds big tech to account.

Patricia Karvelas is the presenter of RN Breakfast and co-host of the Party Room podcast. She also hosts Q+A on ABC TV Mondays at 9.35pm.