By: Catherine Blanchard
Navigating adolescence is hard enough, but in today’s current climate, newer generations are having to learn how to navigate their interpersonal relationships in-person as well as online. Interacting with others online can be especially difficult because normal social cues or expectations can be lost over online communication. Moreover, these problems that exist in normal adolescent communication, namely bullying, also carry over into online communication, which in turn presents a whole host of new and difficult issues. By detailing and exploring current research done specifically studying adolescents’ encounters with cyberbully, I hope to demystify cyberbullying as a whole and provide some practical information that can aid parents in handling this subject with their children.
Cyberbullying,
as defined by researcher McLoughlin, is similar to any other bullying that
might occur in the halls or classrooms of a school. It is malicious, targeted,
and not a one-time occurrence. The difference, however, is that cyberbullying
takes place online whether via social media, texts, email, or any other form of
online communication (2019). In a study conducted by McLoughlin, students at 8
different schools ranging from12-17 in South Australia participated in a survey
which, among other things, sought to measure the negative social states and
social connectedness associated with cyberbullying. Their results concluded
that victims of cyberbullying were “a particularly vulnerable group,
experiencing higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than those who
have never been involved in cyberbullying as a victim or bully” (2019). Thus,
cyberbullying has real effects on adolescent’s mental health which should be
considered when handling issues with cyberbullying.
As
for those who engage in acts that express aggression over the internet, research
suggests that they are not free from negative effects as well (Washington et
al., 2018). In a study conducted in China observing 494 students predominately of
the middle-class socioeconomic background, students were asked to complete self-report
assessments of a number of things including cyber aggression, optimism about
peers, and loneliness. By having students also fill out popularity nomination
surveys, researchers were also able to observe whether certain students had a
good standing amongst their classmates. The results of this study found that “the
more children engaged in cyber aggression, the lonelier they felt, the less
optimistic they were about current and future peer engagements, and the fewer classroom
mutual friends they had” (Washington et al., 2018). From this research, we can
gather that those who participate in cyber bullying also are negatively
affected by their actions.
Lastly, its interesting to note how cyberbullying can greatly vary from traditional bullying. One of the aspects of cyberbullying is that, because it is online, there is a level of anonymity. This, according to Wachs is called “Toxic Online Disinhibition” which refers specifically to the phenomenon where toxic behavior is more likely to occur in online communication because of the lack of face-to-face interaction (2019). Luckily, having this knowledge can help schools and parents implement educational programs for the adolescents in their care that can help them better understand communication over the internet and aid them in practicing safe and respectful internet etiquette.
References
McLoughlin,
L. T., Spears, B. A., Taddeo, C. M., & Hermens, D. F. (2019). Remaining
connected in the face of cyberbullying: Why social connectedness is important
for mental health. Psychology in the Schools, 56(6),
945–958. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1002/pits.22232
Wachs,
S., Wright, M. F., & Vazsonyi, A. T. (2019). Understanding the overlap
between cyberbullying and cyberhate perpetration: Moderating effects of toxic
online disinhibition. Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health, 29(3),
179–188. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1002/cbm.2116
Washington,
R., Cohen, R., Berlin, K. S., Hsueh, Y., & Zhou, Z. (2018). The relation of
cyber aggression to peer social competence in the classroom for children in
China. Social Development, 27(4), 715–731. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1111/sode.12314
