Why teenage cyberbullying is a toxic side effect of online socialization

Parenting

According to a questionnaire-based study, teenagers are falling prey to bullying while using the internet. We look at the psychological impact and potential fixes.

Increasingly, the internet has become a platform that provides safe haven to bullies, and this is having a significant impact on the mental health of teenagers.

Medicine ®, a journal published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer, performed a prospective online questionnaire-based study on 316 teenagers to assess the prevalence of cyberbullying in Romania, evaluate its psychosocial consequences, and examine the factors that may predispose them to bullying.

The research discovered that teenagers in general are extremely vulnerable to cyberbullying, however the associated risk factors and persistent ramifications remain more or less under-explored.

What does the Romanian survey reveal about teenage cyberbullying? 

The Romanian study reveals an important facet of cyberbullying: that victims are mostly bullied on Facebook (75%), Instagram (41%), and while gaming online (18%). Nearly 50% of the responders stated that they had been previously bullied, with girls having a higher risk of being harassed than boys. More than 53% of the victims included in the study benefited from support.

The survey underscores the importance of maintaining healthy and nurturing environments at home. A finding shockingly reveals that teenagers witnessing domestic violence have a more than two-fold higher risk of committing cyberbullying than teenagers hailing from healthier family backgrounds.

The study authors also discovered a statistically significant association between various edible or consumable items (coffee, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and energy drinks) and the initiation of aggression. The data suggest that teenage boys are more likely to be involved in bullying others than teenage girls.

The study also shows that introverted teenagers are less likely to get cyberbullied (8%) than their extroverted counterparts (34%). Whereas most of the surveyed teenage victims (59%) were unaware of the perpetrator’s identity, nearly 23% identified the bully as an acquaintance – 11% as a boyfriend/girlfriend, and 8% as a classmate.

The data also shows that nonvictims had fewer friends who had fallen prey to cyberbullying (22%). The study further notes that victims were more than 2,100 times likely to have friends who were also bullied.

What are the psychosocial impacts and plausible fixes for teenage cyberbullying?

Quite surprisingly, the study also reveals that bullying not only impacts the victims, but also the perpetrators. In fact, nearly 5% of the respondents deeply regret their involvement in the sinister activity.

The survey results also indicate that teenagers who are bullied are five times more likely to bully others than teenagers who have never fallen prey to the nefarious act.

Whereas 66% of the respondents draw parallels between cyberbullying and physical violence, 23% consider cyberbullying to be less harmful than physical violence. Quite concerningly, 11% of the survey participants consider cyberbullying to be worse than physical violence.

Although more than 47% deny any impact on physical or mental wellness, a significant number of victims feel otherwise. For instance, more than 30% of the respondents report feeling upset, nearly 4% report suffering from insomnia, and almost 8% experience depression. 

On the positive side, the study notes that support from home and school has been shown to drastically minimize the adverse effects of cyberbullying among teenagers. Unfortunately, such coping strategies are rarely implemented by the victims of cyberbullying.

Although continued research seems necessary to mitigate the effects of teenage cyberbullying, this study nevertheless sheds light on the pervasiveness, determining factors, and negative impacts associated with this detrimental and inhuman act.

Dr. Balas and coauthors of the study conclude that the impact of cyberbullying on adolescents’ emotions and well-being consists of somatic, depressive, and stress symptoms.

They recommend that parents and teachers promote dialogue about cyberbullying, helping adolescents to find effective ways to deal with these situations and to develop their empathy, communication, and social skills.

Read [Cyberbullying in teenagers – a true burden in the era of online socialization]

How can you help as a parent?

If you’re worried about your child or teenager, and their use of devices and the impact it might be having on them, we recommend reading these articles:

Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students in effective decision-making and outcomes across healthcare. They support clinical effectiveness, learning and research, clinical surveillance and compliance, as well as data solutions.