essay about cyber bullying problem on social media

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

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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.

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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.

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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

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• Jenna Margolis 3 &
• Dinara Amanbekova 3  

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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.

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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

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The Impact of Cyberbullying on Mental Health

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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.

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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.  

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• 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. ↩

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Cyber Bullying — Social Media’s Role in Combating Cyberbullying

Social Media's Role in Combating Cyberbullying

• Categories: Cyber Bullying

About this sample

Words: 586 |

Published: Mar 25, 2024

Words: 586 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Introduction:, the complexity of cyberbullying:, the responsibilities of social media companies:, 1. content moderation and filtering:, 2. user reporting mechanisms:, 3. education and awareness campaigns:, 4. collaborative partnerships:, 5. transparency and accountability:, conclusion:.

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Social media addiction linked to cyberbullying

Identifying as male and more hours spent online also contributed

As social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and others continue to grow in popularity , adolescents are spending more of their time online navigating a complex virtual world.

New research suggests that these increased hours spent online may be associated with cyberbullying behaviors. According to a study by the University of Georgia , higher social media addiction scores, more hours spent online, and identifying as male significantly predicted cyberbullying perpetration in adolescents.

Amanda Giordano

“There are some people who engage in cyberbullying online because of the anonymity and the fact that there’s no retaliation,” said Amanda Giordano, principal investigator of the study and associate professor in the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education. “You have these adolescents who are still in the midst of cognitive development, but we’re giving them technology that has a worldwide audience and then expecting them to make good choices.”

Cyberbullying can take on many forms, including personal attacks, harassment or discriminatory behavior, spreading defamatory information, misrepresenting oneself online, spreading private information, social exclusion and cyberstalking.

The study surveyed adolescents ranging in age from 13–19 years old. Of the 428 people surveyed, 214 (50%) identified as female, 210 (49.1%) as male, and four (0.9%) as other.

Exploring social media addiction

When adolescents are online, they adapt to a different set of social norms than when they’re interacting with their peers in person. Oftentimes, they are more aggressive or critical on social media because of the anonymity they have online and their ability to avoid retaliation. Additionally, cyberbullies may feel less remorse or empathy when engaging in these behaviors because they can’t see the direct impact of their actions.

“The perpetrator doesn’t get a chance to see how damaging their bullying is and to learn from their mistakes and do something different,” said Giordano. “It’s a scary situation because they don’t have the natural consequences they do with offline bullying.”

Teenagers who are addicted to social media are more likely to engage in cyberbullying, as well as those who spend more time online. Participants in the study reported spending on average over seven hours online per day, and the reported average maximum hours spent online in one day was over 12 hours.

“Social media addiction is when people crave it when they’re not on it, and continue their social media use despite negative consequences,” said Giordano. “Some negative consequences could be they’re tired during the day because they’re scrolling all night long, they’re having conflicts with their parents, they’re getting poor grades in school or they’re engaging in actions online that they later regret, but they still continue to use social media.”

Social networking sites are designed to give people a dopamine hit, she added, and some people compulsively look for that hit. “It’s feeding into that addictive behavior, and they may be using cyberbullying as a way to get likes, shares, comments and retweets,” she said. “That’s the common thread you see in behavioral addictions—people start relying on a rewarding behavior as a way to make them feel better when they’re experiencing negative emotions. And so, I think the social media addiction piece is really interesting to show that there’s another factor at play here in addition to the number of hours spent online.”

The study also found that adolescent males are more likely to engage in cyberbullying than females, aligning with past studies that show aggressive behaviors tend to be more male driven. More research on the socialization process of men can help determine what’s leading them to engage in more cyberbullying behaviors.

Next steps for counselors and clinicians

Giordano believes that counselors need to start assessing adolescents for social media addiction if they are engaging in cyberbullying and to provide treatment plans to help redefine their relationship with technology. These interventions may include helping adolescents examine how they define their self-worth and restricting the amount of time they spend on social media platforms.

“There’s quite a few strong and reliable assessments for social media addiction for adolescents that have good psychometric properties,” said Giordano. “I think when clinicians see cyberbullying happen, they really need to explore the individual’s relationship with social media and to address social media addiction, not just the cyberbullying.”

Often, school counselors are not aware of cyberbullying until after an incident occurs. To address this issue, Giordano recommends that schools start educating students earlier about cyberbullying and social media addiction as a preventive method instead of waiting to repair the damage. Whether it’s through an awareness campaign or support group, schools can help students talk about cyberbullying to give them a chance to understand the consequences of their actions and prepare them for potential risks.

“We need schools and school counselors to do this preventative work early and educate students about the risk of addiction with some of these rewarding behaviors like gaming and social media,” said Giordano. “We need to teach them the warning signs of behavioral addiction, what to do if they start to feel like they’re losing control over their behaviors and help them find other ways to manage their emotions, rather than turning to these behaviors. There are a lot of programs already moving in this direction, and I think that’s amazing and there needs to be more of it.”

Counselors can help decrease the risk of some of these addictive behaviors at a young age by teaching and equipping children with emotional regulation skills and other ways to cope with their feelings.

“If you think about it, adolescents are not only figuring out who they are offline, but they’re also trying to figure out who they want to be online,” said Giordano. “We’re giving them even more to do during this developmental period, including deciding how they want to present themselves online. I think it’s a complex world that we’re asking adolescents to navigate.”

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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.

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Social Media: Cyberbullying, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 521

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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.

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How Does Cyberbullying Affect on Young People? 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

Prevalence and severity of cyberbullying, propagation of hatred, low self-esteem, emotional damage, anti-social behaviors, poor academic performance.

Cyberbullying refers to the unethical use of information technology with the sole aim of harassing, embarrassing, and intimidating people. According to laws of the United States, cyberbullying includes publication of humiliating news or stories about specific individuals with the aim of hurting them or posting stories and rumors about certain individuals in order to elicit hatred from other internet users (Cappadocia, Craig, and Pepler 2011).

In contemporary society, cyberbullying is a common phenomenon among young people because of the increase in the rate of internet use. On the other hand, awareness about the adverse effects of cyberbullying has increased. Young people are aware of its risks, dangers, and legal implications. It is common in social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Different forms of cyberbullying include harassment, insults, social exclusion, defamation, physical threats, and humiliation through e-mails, text-messages, and pictures (Cappadocia et al. 2011). Cyberbullying has negative effects on young people because it propagates hatred, lowers the self-esteem of victims, encourages anti-social behaviors, causes emotional damage, and lowers academic performance

Cyberbullying is very common among young people. It is easy to execute because many young people have online profiles in major social networks that contain vital information (Ryan and Curwen 2010). Therefore, it is easy to obtain their contact details. Chat rooms and instant messaging services are the main platforms used to bully unsuspecting people. A report released by psychologists from UCLA revealed that about 75 percent of young people are bullied online (Ryan and Curwen 2010).

On the other hand, 85 percent cyberbullying victims were also bullied in school. In certain instances, online bullying increases the likelihood of bullying at school. Cyber stalking is one of the most common forms of bullying that involves the use of e-mails and text messages. Young people prefer these methods because they can hide their identities successfully (Cappadocia et al. 2011). People are allowed to use decoy names when creating online profiles. This makes it difficult to trace the location and identity of individuals involved. Cyberbullying is common because young people have access to the internet. In addition, the cost of browsing and sending text messages is low.

One of the negative effects of cyberbullying is the propagation of hatred and negative attitudes towards certain individuals. Attacks are usually aimed at harassing, intimidating, or embarrassing victims (Ryan and Curwen 2010). It is difficult to establish whether certain information posed about certain individuals is true or false. One of the aims of cyberbullying is to embarrass individuals. For example, an individual might post a nude picture of a victim in order to embarrass them.

When the photo is posted online, people who view it develop a negative perception of the victim. With the advent of editing software like Photoshop, it is easy to edit pictures and append the image of a target. It is difficult for victims to convince people that the pictures are edited and not real. On the other hand, rumors spread regarding a certain individual could destroy their reputation by depicting them in negative light (Smith, Mahdavi, Fisher, & Tippett 2008). Young people spend a lot of time on the internet finding information, playing games, and downloading music and videos. Therefore, they are common targets of bullies.

A research study conducted to establish the relationship between cyberbullying and self-esteem revealed that young people who experience cyberbullying usually have low levels of self-esteem (Ryan and Curwen 2010). The study validated the findings of related past studies that revealed that victims of cyberbullying have low self-esteem. There research study involved 1,963 middle school students from thirty different schools (Patchin and Hinduja 2010).

The students were asked to complete report surveys about their use of internet and encounters with cyberbullying. The study revealed that both victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying had low levels of self-esteem. Students who had not experienced cyberbullying had higher levels of self-esteem (Patchin and Hinduja 2010).

Low self-esteem emanates from feelings of being vulnerable, powerless, and helpless. These feelings are augmented by the anonymity of offenders. Victims have no ways of protecting themselves and are always at the mercy of offenders hence low levels of self-esteem. Young people with low self-esteem do not enjoy life as much as they should and they engage in behaviors that aid them to forget their experiences. All facets of young people’s lives are affected by low self-confidence and self-esteem. They have low productivity and efficiency both at school and at home (Patchin and Hinduja 2010). Failure by parents to spend time with their children worsens the problem because they fail to offer help to their children before the situation gets worse.

Cyberbullying increases feelings of anxiety, loneliness, depression, and other stress-related feelings. A study conducted to study the effects of cyberbullying on the emotional states of children revealed that it has negative effects. The study involved 20 students of different ages. The study revealed that victims had persistent feelings of unhappiness, fear, anxiety, powerlessness, helplessness, sadness, embarrassment, and rejection (Hinduja & Patchin 2010).

The main cause of emotional damage is erosion of self-esteem and confidence. Victims feel alone and helpless and therefore, isolate themselves to avoid attacks. In addition, victims lose interest in many activities, develop suicidal ideas, and might finally succumb to depression. Research has shown that victims of cyberbullying report higher instances of depression that victims of physical bullying. Depression has adverse effects on teenagers mainly with regard to proper emotional and psychological development (Ryan and Curwen 2010).

Depressed teenagers lose interest in fun activities, become irritable, develop concentration problems, and develop depression-related disorders (Hinduja and Patchin 2010). One of the consequences of depression is suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. Research has revealed that victims of cyberbullying are more likely to attempt suicide compared to young people who have never experienced it. Young people usually suffer depression when the pressure of bullying become too much to handle. On the other hand, if they fail to get early intervention from peers, teachers, and parents, they start thinking of suicide as a way of ending their tribulations. Suicide is usually preceded by feelings of anger, fear, worry, anxiety, and loneliness (Ryan and Curwen 2010).

Victims of cyberbullying usually engage in anti-social behaviors in order to run away from harassment. For example, some engage in drug and substance abuse while others avoid social gatherings. Research to study the relationship between cyberbullying and psychosocial problems revealed that victims showed aggressiveness. The study involved 783 adolescents with the mean age of between 12.1 and 17.5. According to the study, both perpetrators and victims showed signs of aggressiveness. Internalizing problems were observed among victims while externalizing problems were common among perpetrators. Perpetrators of cyberbullying are usually aggressive and violent. Many of them are victims of substance and drug abuse. In order to harass and intimidate victims, some use drugs in order to expel the fear of doing it. Victims of cyberbullying become aggressive as a means of protecting themselves (Hinduja and Patchin 2010).

When developing measures to counter cyberbullying, it is important to study the behaviors of young people to determine whether they have emanated from the effects of bullying or not. The effects of cyberbullying also prevent the participation of young people in physical activities that are good for their health. For example, victims may stop taking part in sports and athletics because they avoid situations that might expose them to bullies. As a result, they become used to sedentary lifestyles that affect their health.

Research has established a relationship between academic performance and cyberbullying. Young people who experience cyberbullying usually become disinterested in school because of the need to avoid bullies or the embarrassment and humiliation of online attacks (Smith et al. 2008). For example, if embarrassing pictures of a student are shared online among students in a school, the victim will avoid school as a way of avoiding embarrassment. Absenteeism due to cyberbullying results in poor academic performance. Bullied students get low grades because of inability to concentrate in class or inability to study due to recurrent feelings of anxiety, fear, and helplessness (Smith et al. 2008).

In severe cases, students drop out of school or fail to pursue higher education after graduating from high school. On the other hand, offenders also perform poorly because they spend many days at home due to suspension or expulsion from school for bullying other students (Hinduja and Patchin 2010). Teachers should observe the behaviors of students in order to identify possible victims of cyberbullying in order to offer appropriate assistance. In addition, some students engage in negative school-based behaviors that affect their academic performance (Smith et al. 2008). For example, they spend little time studying and doing homework. Instead, they spend most of their time on the internet bullying other students.

Cyberbullying refers to the use of technology to harass, intimidate, embarrass, or insult. It has negative effects on the lives of young people because it propagates hatred, lowers the self-esteem of victims, encourages anti-social behaviors, causes emotional damage, and increases cases of drug and substance abuse. Students who had not experienced cyberbullying had higher levels of self-esteem. Low self-esteem emanates from feelings of vulnerability, powerlessness, and helplessness. Cyberbullying increases feelings of anxiety, loneliness, depression, and other stress-related feelings. The main cause of emotional damage is erosion of self-esteem and confidence.

Victims feel alone and helpless and therefore, isolate themselves to avoid attacks. In addition, victims lose interest in many activities, develop suicidal ideas, and might finally succumb to depression. In order to harass and intimidate victims, many young people use drugs in order to expel the fear of doing it. Victims of cyberbullying become aggressive as a means of protecting themselves. Student who experience cyberbullying usually become lose interest in school because of the need to avoid bullies. In addition, other students fail to attend school because of the embarrassment and humiliation they get from online attacks. For example, if humiliating statements or stories are given regarding a student, the victim will avoid school because of the humiliation they experience. Absenteeism causes poor academic performance. Such students get low grades because of the inability to concentrate in class or inability to study due to recurrent feelings of anxiety, fear, and helplessness.

Cappadocia, C., Craig, W., and Pepler D. (2011). Cyberbullying: Prevalence, Stability and Risk Factors during Adolescence. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 28(2), 171-192. Web.

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. (2010). Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Suicide. Archives of Suicide Research, 14 (3), 206-222. Web.

Patchin, J., & Hinduja, S. (2010). Cyberbullying and Self-Esteem. Journal of school Health, 80(12), 614-621. Web.

Ryan, K., and Curwen, T. (2010). Cyber-Victimized Students: incidence, Impact, and Intervention. Sage Journals, 4(2), 24-33. Web.

Smith, P., Mahdavi, J., Fisher, S., & Tippett, N. (2008) Cyberbullying: Its Nature And Impact in Secondary Schools. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(4), 376-385. Web.

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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

Cyberbullying is when someone uses the internet, mobile phones, or other digital technologies to harm others. It is a type of bullying that happens online. Unlike regular bullying, cyberbullying can happen at any time and reach a person even when they are alone. It can include things like sending mean or threatening messages, spreading rumors, or posting embarrassing photos or videos.

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.

There are many ways to prevent cyberbullying. One of the most important is to be kind and respectful online. Remember, the words you type can have a big impact on others. It’s also important to keep personal information private and to think before you post. If you wouldn’t say something in person, don’t say it online.

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.

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‘Enough is enough:' Read MyKayla Skinner's latest Instagram message on social media feud with Simone Biles

It's the latest development in a social media feud that stemmed from comments made by mykayla skinner about team usa gymnasts in a now-deleted youtube video, by nbc chicago staff • published august 6, 2024 • updated on august 7, 2024 at 9:38 am.

Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinne r has entered the chat...again.

In a video message posted to Instagram Tuesday, Skinner a Team USA gymnast who competed in the Tokyo Olympics after Simone Biles dropped out due to the twisties, publicly asked Biles "to please put a stop" to what she called cyberbullying that has led to threats against her family. Skinner's message followed a social post from Biles celebrating Team USA's gold medal in Paris last week that also appeared to reference a comment made by Skinner in a  since-deleted YouTube video .

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"Watching people cheer on the bullying which has led to threats of physical harm to me, my husband and our daughter is disgusting," Skinner said in the video. "So please, at this point, I am just asking for it to just stop for the sake of my family because enough is enough."

Skinner's full video message is below.

Hey everyone. I sincerely hope that this topic wouldn't need to be revisited. But unfortunately things have really gotten out of hand lately, and it's one thing to disagree with me regarding something I've said or a point I was trying to make, but it's something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying or even worse. 

Watching people cheer on the bullying which has led to threats of physical harm to me, my husband and our daughter is disgusting. So please, at this point, I am just asking for it to just stop for the sake of my family because enough is enough. So why I'm here. It's because about four weeks ago, I made a comment about work ethic and what seems to be taking place with the rising generation. To be totally clear, I take 100% responsibility for poorly articulating the point I was trying to make, and the last thing I wanted was to cause harm or offend our US Olympic team .

I know these women are incredible, the very best of the best, and almost all of them are my former teammates who I have enjoyed very much cheering on the last few years.

I posted a video apology on Instagram.

And I followed up with a written apology and I sent individual messages to each of the women on the team. Only Simone had responded, and she told me that she was proud of me. You guys can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold, just to see this brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post.

If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent, and if that's really how she feels, I am really heartbroken over it, but not just heartbroken because it isn't how I feel or even what I previously said, but heartbroken because Simone's latest post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments. DMs, articles and emails. Hate that includes death threats to me, my family and even my agent. My family and my friends don't deserve to be caught in a crossfire here. They've done nothing. So, to Simone, I am asking you to directly and publicly to please put a stop to this. Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness, and a lot of people need your help now. We've been hurt and attacked in ways that I am certain you never intended .

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Your performance. the team's performance and the Olympics in general should be a time that we support one another and lift each other and our country up.

I love our country, and I love our team. And I hope that we can move on and move forward and cheer on the rest of our teammates and our athletes together. 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by MyKayla Skinner (Harmer) (@mykaylaskinner2016)

The Biles-Skinner social media controversy explained

Last week, Biles took to social media to celebrate her team's incredible gold medal win at the 2024 Olympics, but her word choice set the gymnastics world on fire.

Biles shared images of her team holding the American flag after winning gold in the women's gymnastics all-around team final. The team included Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.

"Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions," she captioned the post.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

Biles' words appeared to reference a comment made by Skinner, who stepped in for  Biles  at  the Tokyo Olympics  after she dropped out due to the twisties. In the now-deleted YouTube video, Skinner commented on what she said was a lack of "talent" and "depth" in the upcoming gymnastics fields.

Biles had responded to the remark  shortly after Skinner made it, and Skinner had  apologized  for the remarks saying they were "misinterpreted" or "misunderstood."

But all the controversy surrounding the video resurfaced after Biles' post last week, which was praised by Olympians around the world, including her gold medal-winning teammates.

Skinner did not immediately respond to that post, but appeared to block Biles on social media.

That all changed on Tuesday.

"At this point, I am just asking for it to just stop for the sake of my family, because enough is enough," Skinner said in the new video, explaining, "I made a comment about work ethic and what seems to be taking place with the rising generation. To be totally clear, I take 100% responsibility for poorly articulating the point I was trying to make, and the last thing I wanted was to cause harm or offend our US Olympic team."

"I know these women are incredible, the very best of the best, and almost all of them are my former teammates who I have enjoyed very much cheering on the last few years," she continued, saying she posted a video apology on Instagram and followed up with a written apology and individual messages "to each of the women on the team."

"Only Simone had responded and she told me that she was proud of me," Skinner said. "You guys can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold. Just to see this brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post."

This is when Skinner talks in the video about the effects of Biles' latest post.

"If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent, and if that's really how she feels, I am really heartbroken over it, but not just heartbroken because it isn't how I feel or even what I previously said but heartbroken because Simone's latest post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments."

Skinner said she received DMs and emails that included death threats to herself, her family and her agent.

"My family and my friends don't deserve to be caught in a crossfire here," she said. "They've done nothing. So to Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this. Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness and a lot of people need your help now. We've been hurt and attacked in ways that I am certain you never intended."

Skinner ended by saying, "I love our country and I love our team. And I hope that we can move on and move forward and cheer on the rest of our teammates and our athletes together."

Must-see photos of Simone Biles and her toddler niece wearing matching Olympic leotards

Michelle Obama responds to viral photo of Biles, Chiles bowing to gold-medal gymnast Rebeca Andrade

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