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THE CURRENT STATE OF CYBERBULLYING

The Current State of Cyberbullying

Daniel Fox

The University of Alabama

CAT 531

July 11, 2021

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THE CURRENT STATE OF CYBERBULLYING
The Current State of Cyberbullying

Introduction

The introduction of technology into the education system through smartphones, personal

computers, smartboards, the internet, and social media has led to more significant innovation

within the classroom as effective instruction has evolved alongside these new technologies.

However, these new technologies have also evolved a less desirable element of the educational

system as the traditional physical bullying experience one might encounter in school has now

shifted online. Cyberbullying is the use of technological tools and innovations by an individual

or group with the intent of using that technology to purposefully harm others (Roberto, Eden,

Savage, Ramos-Salazar, & Deiss, 2014; Yang, Chen, Lin, & Chan, 2021). As with any

technological advancement, schools are still learning about the new challenges cyberbullying

presents their students, teachers, and school climate. This paper will address the present climate

of cyberbullying within the greater education system by evaluating current trends, perspectives,

and consequences of cyberbullying. Finally, after understanding the current state of

cyberbullying, potential solutions will be offered to reduce cyberbullying within schools and

minimize the effects cyberbullying can have on perpetrators, victims, and bystanders.

Cyberbullying Trends and Statistics

As technology has quickly become an integrated part of our societal fabric, so has our

understanding of the current prevalence and trends of cyberbullying amongst this current student

generation. Current studies estimate that anywhere between 32% to 37% of students ages 12-17

have reported being victims of cyberbullying, while 35% of students claim to have had

perpetrated at least one act of cyberbullying against another student (Roberto, Eden, Savage,

Ramos-Salazar, & Deiss, 2014). The number of cyberbullying victims increased over the past
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decade and is expected to increase as technology becomes more and more integrated with

students' lives (Pelfrey Jr. & Weber, 2015). It is also highly likely that once a student has been a

victim of cyberbullying that they will also perpetrate an act of cyberbullying against another

student (Roberto, Eden, Savage, Ramos-Salazar, & Deiss, 2014; Peker, Eroglu, & Yildiz, 2021).

Female students are the demographic most likely to be victims of cyberbullying as 41% of

female students claimed to have been a victim of at least one act of cyberbullying, compared to

only 28% of male students (Camelford & Ebrahim, 2016). Cyberbullying is prevalent and easily

noticed by the student population as 88% of students say they have witnessed or have been a

bystander of an incident of cyberbullying (Camelford & Ebrahim, 2016). One of the most

concerning statistics is that 74% of cyberbullying victims never report the act to any adult,

whether that be a parent, teacher, or administrator. This figure is significantly higher than the

60% of students who will report an instance of physical bullying to an adult (Camelford &

Ebrahim, 2016).

Modern Perspectives on Cyberbullying

Predictors of Cyberbullying

Previous analysis has shown that there are a particular set of predictive indicators towards

cyberbullying behavior. First of all, traditionalist student physical or verbal aggression within

schools is directly correlated to the likelihood that students would also engage in cyberbullying

(Roberto, Eden, Savage, Ramos-Salazar, & Deiss, 2014). Therefore, there appears to be no

difference between a student who would perpetrate physical bullying or cyberbullying. Another

predictor is the amount of parental involvement and monitoring of their child’s technological

activity. Parents that are more involved in this aspect of their child’s lives will see their child

have a far less statistical probability of perpetrating cyberbullying (Roberto, Eden, Savage,
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Ramos-Salazar, & Deiss, 2014; Stauffer, Heath, Coyne, & Ferrin, 2012). Finally, a student's

level of self-efficacy is directly correlated to their likelihood to perpetrate cyberbullying. Self-

efficacy is defined as a person's individual belief in their ability to take the necessary steps to

complete a task, such as organizing, planning, and being self-motivated (Peker, Eroglu, & Yildiz,

2021). Higher levels of student self-efficacy lead to decreased risk of engaging in cyberbullying

and vice-a-versa. Even though all of the predictors described here are on an individual scale,

they can also be applied to larger scales such as families, classrooms, schools, and society.

Cyberbullying is not solely a problem reserved for the individual but rather is influenced by

various societal factors that are sometimes outside of the individual's control.

Adult Views on Cyberbullying

The motivations, causes, and effects of cyberbullying and the school environments that

either contribute to or limit cyberbullying are still being learned and understood. However, it is

challenging to reason why this new psychological threat to students is not taken as seriously as

more traditionalist student body problems such as physical bullying or classroom misbehavior.

Current evidence states that schools, especially teachers, do not perceive cyberbullying as a

severe problem that needs to be addressed within the educational system. One study shows that

25% of teachers believe that cyberbullying has no lasting adverse effects for students and is

helpful to prepare a student for adulthood, and fewer than 50% of teachers favor implementing a

school-wide cyberbullying prevention program (Stauffer, Heath, Coyne, & Ferrin, 2012). In

many cases, this lack of emphasis has led to cyberbullying being normalized or minimized

within the school environment while being seen as an individual problem instead of a systemic

problem (Mishna, Sanders, McNeil, Fearing, & Kalenteridis, 2020). Mrs. Lisa Nix is a former

middle school principal for Trinity Chapel Academy in Powder Springs, Georgia. Mrs. Nix
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herself expressed pessimism in finding a solution for cyberbullying as adults, in her opinion,

were the main problem. In her mind, adults themselves not only do not care about cyberbullying,

but they mirror cyberbullying behavior to their children through their social interactions with

other adults (L. Nix, personal interview, July 11, 2021).

Student Views on Cyberbullying

Students themselves appear to be aware of the destructive nature of cyberbullying as a

majority claim that cyberbullying harms the individual student and the school's culture (Pelfrey

Jr. & Weber, 2015). Traditionally students have developed various strategies for dealing with

cyberbullying that range from a healthy nonconfrontational intervention to complete avoidance

of the issue. Some students choose to adopt a preventive coping strategy when they are the

victim of cyberbullying by being self-aware of the damages cyberbullying can have on their

mental health and seeking to engage in open communication both with adults and the perpetrator

as they seek to internally heal themselves and forgive their attacker (Camelford & Ebrahim,

2016). However, the option for approaching their attacker is not possible due to many cases of

cyberbullying perpetrated through the anonymity of the internet, with the cyberbullying victim

unable to identify their attacker (Camelford & Ebrahim, 2016).

Other students tend to reactively cope with their cyberbullying attack by either avoiding

the problem, accepting that they were attacked because of an internal flaw, or justifying that the

perpetrator of the cyberbullying was somehow justified in attacking them (Camelford &

Ebrahim, 2016). Many of these students choose this less-than-healthy alternative mainly because

they fear the potential reprisals resulting from discussing their victimization with an adult non-

confrontationally approaching their cyberbullying attacker. Students specifically struggle with

not knowing what category of adult to report the cyberbullying incident to as the social dynamic
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with each adult is varied and could carry consequences for the victim. Students expressed

hesitancy in approaching a parent out of fear that they would be blamed for the incident and have

their technological privileges removed. They also showed little trust in teachers as students

believed that teachers would not keep their conversations confidential and would subsequently

report the incident to the administration and their parents (Pelfrey Jr. & Weber, 2015). Many

teachers have reported that their responses to hearing an incident of cyberbullying are heavily

influenced by various factors and are not treated uniformly across all cases. Teachers could be

influenced by the students' cultural background and previous behavior to judge whether the

cyberbullying victim was directly responsible for themselves being bullied (Mishna, Sanders,

McNeil, Fearing, & Kalenteridis, 2020). Given that these teachers are placing judgment upon

cyberbullying victims, it is not surprising that these student victims choose to avoid open

communication about their victimization with teachers.

Consequences of Cyberbullying

No different than traditional physical bullying, cyberbullying can have severe

consequences for both the perpetrator and the victim from the standard of both physical and

mental health. Cyberbullying victims are likely to suffer emotional trauma from the event. This

trauma can be exasperated by the fact that cyberbullying already targets students with a

perceived “difference” within their school’s cultural environment (Mishna, Sanders, McNeil,

Fearing, & Kalenteridis, 2020). Students can be targeted based on their minority status based on

ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexuality, academic performance, or physical appearance.

Because these students already feel isolated within their school's environment, the effects

cyberbullying can have on those students will likely intensify the emotional struggles that

student is experiencing within the school daily. These emotional and psychological stressors can
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manifest themselves through depression and social anxiety (Doumas & Midgett, 2020). If these

students do not receive the proper counseling and guidance they need to work and process

through those emotional stressors, there could be dire consequences. Currently, students who

have reported to be cyberbullying victims are 1.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than the

average student (Camelford & Ebrahim, 2016).

Additionally, perpetrators of cyberbullying need to be aware of the potential legal

consequences they face. At present, most states have some form of cyberbullying law meant to

define and discourage cyberbullying both within schools and the general population. For a

juvenile student, the penalties for cyberbullying could include academic suspension or expulsion,

civil penalties to cover emotional damages a victim may incur, or jail time for any form of

cyberbullying that constitutes a felony (StopBullying, 2018). In her interview, Mrs. Lisa Nix

expressed that virtually no student who was a perpetrator of cyberbullying had self-awareness of

the emotional and legal consequences their actions would have on both themselves and their

victim (L. Nix, personal interview, July 11, 2021). Finally, third-party bystanders and witnesses

to cyberbullying are also impacted, as studies show that they too experience depressive

symptoms and social anxiety after witnessing the cyberbullying event (Doumas & Midgett,

2020).

Reducing Cyberbullying

After evaluating the causes and effects of cyberbullying within the educational system,

the following are suggestions on effective ways to reduce cyberbullying.

1. Creation of a cyberbullying prevention program that focuses on cyberbullying from a

systemic, school, and individual perspective

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Current cyberbullying prevention programs are far too cookie-cutter, as they are expected

to be applied in the same format to every school regardless of the environment. Preventive

programs need to be developed that can be modified for the specific cultural environment of the

school and individual. From a systemic perspective, these programs need to focus on the

inequality element of the students victimized by cyberbullying. The program would need to

address the systemic inequality faced by the school's minority population, which could appear

differently in every school depending on their social context and environment (Mishna, Sanders,

McNeil, Fearing, & Kalenteridis, 2020). The program should also seek to develop and increase

the self-efficacy levels of individual students, as that is proven to reduce cyberbullying (Peker,

Eroglu, & Yildiz, 2021). These programs should not simply be a one-time lecture but instead

need to be an integral part of the school's culture and the environment through numerous lessons,

meetings, teacher training, and student relationship building. A part of these integral programs

introduces a positive school climate, which is a significant way to reduce cyberbullying (Yang,

Chen, Lin, & Chan, 2021). In her interview, Mrs. Lisa Nix expressed that preventing

cyberbullying must change the students' overall behavior. Through teaching students the power

of words, they would understand the severity their words through cyberbullying could have on

other students (L. Nix, personal interview, July 11, 2021). One school helped develop this

positive school climate by creating a way for students to get to know other students that were not

within their social circles on a more relational level. Once the students could spend time and

communicate with students they previously perceived to be different from them, they were far

less likely to engage in acts of cyberbullying against those students (Pelfrey Jr. & Weber, 2015).

2. Schools should not treat technology as the problem but rather as part of the solution
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Many schools have prohibited students from using their technological devices on school

property or resulted in blocking non-academic websites on their school internet server.

However, simply removing or blocking technology has proven ineffective in reducing

cyberbullying (Pelfrey Jr. & Weber, 2015). In her interview, Mrs. Lisa Nix stated that

restrictions and parameters on both school and personal technology were irrelevant as students

would continuously risk breaking the rules since they did not fear the consequences. Instead,

Mrs. Lisa Nix argued that the problem was not with technology but instead with the intrinsic

beliefs and values of the student (L. Nix, personal interview, July 11, 2021). Many students are

not deterred by a school’s no technology policy and will choose to risk punishment to continue

accessing their devices. They are familiar with alternative methods of accessing their preferred

internet sites through a VPN or other methods that bypass the school's internet server by using a

proxy server (Pelfrey Jr. & Weber, 2015). One solution offered by Mrs. Lisa Nix is to create an

anonymous cyberbullying hotline that allows students to text or e-mail administration cases of

cyberbullying, whether they are communicated directly from the victim or a third-party

bystander (L. Nix, personal interview, July 11, 2021). This hotline would allow students to use

their technology to combat cyberbullying while also allowing their reports to be anonymous,

alleviating the fear of reprisals that cause many students not to report cyberbullying.

3. Communication with parents about cyberbullying and technology monitoring

Prevention strategies for cyberbullying must be a collaborative effort that connects the

school, household, and society. One key aspect of this collaborative effort is to ensure that

parents are receiving the proper facts and information about the dangers of cyberbullying and

preventive measures they can be taken within the home. A primary indicator of reducing

cyberbullying is when parents actively monitor their children's online activities (Stauffer, Heath,
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Coyne, & Ferrin, 2012). Former Middle School principal Mrs. Lisa Nix claimed that parental

involvement was one of the primary factors in preventing and predicting cyberbullying behavior

in students. However, she also expressed difficulty convincing parents to monitor their child's

technological activity as most parents would not follow through with the school's

recommendations (L. Nix, personal interview, July 11, 2021). Therefore, it is imperative that the

school and parents work together to create a healthy environment that allows students to continue

exploring technology within a safely monitored atmosphere. This relationship is also crucial for

any cases of cyberbullying, whether that be the victim or perpetrator. Schools and parents need

to work together with cyberbullying victims to ensure that they receive the care and attention

they need during that time. They should also work together with cyberbullying perpetrators to

enforce consequences and educate the student about the consequences of their actions both

personally and the damage they have inflicted onto the victim.

Conclusion

Cyberbullying is a clear and ever-evolving threat facing this current student generation

that has known nothing but a life with unlimited access to technology. However, as with any

threat that are potential solutions that will help reduce the cases of cyberbullying within the

student population. Given the drastic consequences that victims of cyberbullying can

experience, all party's including students, teachers, administrators, and parents, must begin to

take action on the issue. Taking steps to reduce cyberbullying will create a healthier

environment for all students, drastically improving their mental health and relationships while

also providing a positive school climate that will improve the student learning experience.
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Doumas, D. M., & Midgett, A. (2020). The association between witnessing cyberbullying and

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