In modern society, the use of digital technology has significantly increased. As a result, it has enhanced the risk of many individuals being involved in cyberbullying either as bullies, victims, or bully/victims. The exponential internet growth and its related digital technologies in the recent past have undoubtedly revolutionized the way individuals, organizations, and companies exchange ideas, communicate, and stay connected globally. The benefits associated with these systems and technology advancements have developed the potential for greater efficiency levels related to access to information, communication, and education. The advent of text messaging, blogs, social networking sites, forums, websites, and emails has developed a digital environment where data and access are immediate and instantaneous.
Cyberbullying is an intentional, aggressive act carried out by an individual or a group of people using electronic contact forms overtime against individuals who cannot defend themselves. This definition has three components that distinguish the bullying act from assault or harassment. Bullying includes aggressive behavior, a power imbalance between the victim and the bully, and the action should be repetitive over a short duration. The act of cyberbullying can be perpetrated over various technological mediums, including videos, pictures, text messaging, instant messaging, email, or social networking media. Additionally, it is not limited to sending insulting or hurtful messages; it comprises a wide range of behaviors such as creating a fake person to publicly gain information, humiliate a victim, or publicly reveal an individual’s personal information.
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Although technological advancements have had educational benefits, most modern society youths use these advancements primarily as “critical tools for social life” through online socialization and virtual community interactions. While many of the interactions in question remain positive, academic research and media sources suggest that the online incidences’ appropriateness is becoming more common, and cyberbullying rates are rising rapidly due to the youth’s high access to the digital world. However, it is not easy to identify the exact cause of cyberbullying behavior as every case is unique.
Nonetheless, with the high number of youths accessing communication technologies and the internet daily, it seems that cyberbullying acts will not decline soon. Despite the detrimental psychological effects on social behavior that the internet affords, the youths should be equipped to overcome and identify victimization for them to excel in and learn from the digital world. By understanding the complexity and motivation by which cyberbullying acts occur, individuals can start developing strategies to limit them.
Youths in modern society are not used to a world without digital devices or internet access. However, most individuals in question have little or no guidance or structure to best maximize these devices. As a result, they tweet, text, and browse without limitations. Social media platforms have become popular among teens and youths, making cyberbullying to most widespread on social media. Among the young teens, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat are the most popular social media platforms. Subsequently, most of them have developed addictive behaviors as a result of technological media. Due to high technological dependence, they exhibit similar characteristics to those of drugs or alcohol addicts. Consequently, most of them develop attention problems, among other issues that create a need to monitor the duration and supervise the youths’ digital use intensity.
Problem Statement and Research Question
Self-esteem is a feeling that holds more power over individuals than the feelings they have for others. Consequently, healthy self-esteem is essential in helping individuals achieve their goals, recover and survive from failures and disappointments. Also, healthy self-esteem helps people navigate life with a strong, positive belief and attitude to accomplish their targets. Conversely, low self-esteem can hold a person back from succeeding at their career or school. Such failures occur due to a lack of personal belief in the capability of success. According to Brack and Caltabiano (2014), self-esteem is usually lower in teenagers and youth victims of cyberbullying and bullying. The article further indicates that cyberbullying is linked to low adolescent self-esteem levels. More studies aimed at examining the relationship between victim/bully psychological distress and status show that individuals involved in bullying behavior are at a higher risk of being anxious, depressed, and feeling hopeless (Brack & Caltabiano, 2014).
In the recent past, concerns have been raised about the growing rate of online activities that are harmful to the youths. Some of these activities involve deliberate harassment and malice against youths, including cyberbullying (Kwan et al., 2020). The coverage of teenage suicides and self-harm associated with cyberbullying is on the rise. As a result, there is a need to launch an inquiry on the impact of social media use on young individual’s well-being and mental health. The investigation is essential in ensuring that internet platforms eliminate harmful content and prioritize the users’ protection, especially the youths, children, and vulnerable adults (Kwan et al., 2020).
Arguably, cyberbullying involves hurting other individuals using communication and information technologies. The United States has emerged as a relatively new form of bullying among teenagers and youths. Subsequently, there has been a connection between adolescent suicides and cyberbullying (Nixon, 2014). Therefore, there is a need to explore the cyberbullying impact on adolescent health. The information obtained will be essential in increasing scholars, practitioners, educators, and healthcare providers’ knowledge. (Nixon, 2014). Besides, there is a need to research effective interventions and prevention efforts related to minimizing cyberbullying and its harm.
Consequently, this research will investigate the impact of social media on teenagers and youths in the United States. The researcher will conduct quantitative analysis to investigate the phenomenon. The research question, “What is the relationship between cyberbullying and the teenagers’ and youths’ behaviors?” will be used to guide the study. The research hypothesizes a positive relationship between cyberbullying and youths’ and teenagers’ behaviors in the United States.
Literature Review
In comparison, adolescents and youths are more active social media users than the aged and adults. According to Nixon (2014), approximately 95% of adolescents in the United States are connected to the internet. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are the commonly used social media sites. The group in question mainly uses these social media sites primarily for entertainment, communication, and information sharing (Brack & Caltabiano, 2014). However, the shift to online communication from face-to-face communication has developed unique and potentially harmful social relationships dynamic. This dynamic has been recently explored in literature as internet harassment and cyberbullying.
Arguably, most researchers have found it challenging to accurately distinguish and understand cyberbullying from other forms of digital cruelty and conflict, such as sexual harassment and online harassment. There is no consensus on what forms of cyberbullying in the literature (Kwan et al., 2020). The use of terms such as electronic bullying, online bullying, internet harassment, and cyber aggression makes it hard to understand. As a result, different studies show variations in their reported cyberbullying victimization prevalence among children and young people. The variation may range from 2% to 72%, depending on the used definition, the population age, measurement tools used, and the methodology of the research (Kwan et al., 2020).
Kwan et al. (2020) further argue that an average of 20%-40% of children and youths have been victimized by cyberbullying at least once in their lives. Approximations of about 2-21% of self-report cases in the United States are cyberbully. The study results suggest that cyberbullying can harm the children and youth’s psychological and mental health. Furthermore, they associate cyberbullying with suicidal ideation, low self-esteem, and depression in this group of individuals. However, cyberbullying behavior decreases with age. Another study by Brack & Caltabiano (2014) indicates that adolescent samples best demonstrate this fact. The bullying in question increases is always on the rise through the middle teenage years, before it starts declining few years before adulthood. For example, a study conducted on Australian adult males indicated that only 10.7% of the adults in question reported being cyberbullied in their workplace ((Brack & Caltabiano, 2014). In addition, the study further identifies that only 3.6% of adult college students were found to have engaged in cyberbullying behavior while at the institution.
Cyberbullying has significant impacts on the parties involved. The literature claims that most cyberbullying victims generally have psychological problems, including social anxiety, school phobias, low self-esteem, loneliness, and depression (Goshe, 2016). Additionally, defenseless victims of cyberbullying are likely to suffer from physiological and emotional damage and psychosocial difficulties such as behavior problems, low academic commitments, depression, smoking, and alcohol drinking. Consequently, the victims in question are most likely to hurt psychologically, affecting their daily activities (Peled, 2019). For instance, the depressive effects suffered may prevent students from excelling in their academics. Cyberbullying has a significant relationship with low self-esteem, academic underperformance, family tensions, interpersonal problems, substance abuse, and depression.
Since cyberbullying occurs online, it is almost universally accessed, hence making it a primary concern. An education study poll conducted by the Canadian Teacher’s Federation showed that 86% of teachers view violence and bullying as severe public schools’ problems (Vaillancourt et al., 2016). This potential abuse and harassment can easily spread due to the large audiences across all geographic borders, thus causing a concern. Perhaps because of these factors, the victimization in question can be uniquely associated with mental health problems. Similarly, Goshe (2016) argues that this bullying has a significant association with suicide since a study shows that it is among the leading death causes among young adults and adolescents in the United States.
Arguably, cyberbullying is more stressful in comparison to the traditional forms of school bullying. In the recent past, cyberbullying has appeared as a distinct form of bullying due to its features, including anonymity of the offender, publicity, limitless boundaries, and permeability of online pictures and messages (Hellfeldt et al., 2019). Although there are relatively few psychological outcomes for various cyberbullying roles, there is a possibility that it has severe consequences on children and young people. According to previous studies, there are different potential consequences of the bullying in question, including depressive symptoms. Also, other studies have indicated a relationship between cyber-victimization and low levels of subjective well-being. However, some studies show that cyberbullies are better off than their victims (Hellfeldt et al., 2019). Subsequently, children and young adults involved in cyberbullying are at a higher risk of psychological distress, including lower subjective well-being and anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Methodology
Participants
The study involved different university students from various departments. It required 1,194 students to participate in completing a psychology pre-screener that included questions about their prior cyberbullying experiences. The eligible participant for this study was needed to be of 15 years of age or older. Secondly, they needed to have reported at least one cyberbullying experience. Lastly, the participants were required to read and understand English since it was the language used.
Material
The study provided questionnaires to the participants for the task. The participants were required to answer the questions accordingly. The survey was conducted online, requiring participants to have a device that can be used to access the internet. Also, they were informed that the information they indicated was only to be used for this study only. Therefore, it would not be disclosed to third parties.
Design
The study utilized the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). This manual helped diagnose and classify mental disorders that might have emerged as a result of cyberbullying. The assessment of the participants was based on their last 12 months’ experiences. The significance of this timeframe was to ensure that the data obtained is timely. This manual approach has nine criteria that are crucial for diagnosing a mental disorder. According to the manual in question, the disorder presence is indicated five or more of the manual’s criteria. This criterion helped assess depression, anxiety, distress, self-esteem, perceived stress, sleep behavior, health symptoms, and sexual behaviors of the victims (Goshe, 2016).
Procedure
Participants who stated prior cyberbullying experience were allowed to take part in the survey study. The questionnaires were distributed and completed online. The participants were provided with a unique URL that enabled them to gain access to the survey. Sona-System participant pool management software was used. Informed consent was achieved before the beginning of the study procedures by selecting the “I agree” option on an information page, which outlined the possible risks and the purpose of the study.
Consequently, the participants completed the survey from different locations via their internet-connected devices. They took adequate time as required for the study, but they were recommended to do so in a single sitting. Apart from basic demographics, no other identity data was collected in this study. The system used the unique random number identifies, hence ensuring that the participants remained utterly anonymous.
Discussion
This study’s primary objective was to determine how the impact of cyberbullying can affect an adult versus a child. As a result, the study focused on university students due to the varying age gaps. Participants who were 15-17 years of age represented the children, while the 18 years and above participants represented the adults. The study investigated the relationship between cyberbullying and the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and subjective well-being levels. Also, the research investigated the impacts of cyberbullying effects on adults and children. The results obtained indicate that cyberbullying reduces with age. It showed that adolescents are more likely to be involved in cyberbullying than adults.
Most young individuals are most likely to be stressed by cyberbullying-related issues than adults. Online harassment was seen to increase emotional distress among the children. Additionally, the findings indicate that children who are victims of cyberbullying are likely to have low self-esteem and perceived stress. As a result, they face harmful consequences, including poor confidence, poor school performances, and suicidal thoughts.
Recommendations
Due to the seriousness and increase of cyberbullying consequences among children and adults, there is a need to develop interventions and prevention measures for cyberbullying. However, since cyberbullying cases come in different forms, it is challenging to create effective interventions. Therefore, future research should focus on developing effective and efficient interventions and prevention measures for cyberbullying. Methods such as confronting the bullies and warning the perpetrators to stop are some of the active strategies to prevent future cyberbullying encounters.
Furthermore, there is a need to develop measures and guidelines for reporting cyberbully concerns. It should be made clear at what point online comments and insults cross the punishable behaviors threshold. Such regulations will assist in controlling the ever-rising cyberbullying acts and their consequences.
Conclusions
In the recent past, cyberbullying has become a frequent research topic. The increased harmful consequences of cyberbullying have driven this increase. Such studies have played a significant role in better understanding the detrimental and prevalence effects of cyberbullying. For instance, this study has demonstrated the increased cyberbullying frequency has a relationship with depression, anxiety, distress, low self-esteem, and perceived stress among children. As a result, there is a need for more studies on the impacts of cyberbullying.
Annotated Bibliography
Research Purpose: How The Impact of Cyberbullying Can Affect an Adult Versus a Child.
Brack K., & Caltabiano N. (2014). Cyberbullying and self-esteem in Australian adults. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace , 8 (2). https://doi.org/10.5817/cp2014-2-7 Database: Masaryk University Press
This research was conducted to find the effects of cyberbullying on Australian adults who were between 17-25 years. The results showed that the number of cyberbullying perpetrators was low, similar to cyberbullying consequences on adolescents. The results were not consistent with the hypothesis that the frequency of cyberbullying would reduce with age. The self-esteem of the cyberbullies and adult victims was not affected significantly compared to the effects witnessed in children and adolescents. The adults seemed to be using the internet with more maturity and stable minds hence the reduced effects. The types of cyberbullying directed to adults were also less severe, thereby explaining the lesser effects on their physical and mental health.
Goshe, B. M. (2016). Cyberbullying Among Young Adults: Effects on Mental and Physical Health . OpenCommons@UConn. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2012&context=gs_theses
This research was conducted to examine the effects of cyberbullying among young adults on mental and physical health. It looks at the social benefits of communication technologies and internet advances, including educational information access, friendship creation and maintenance, and access to a wide entertainment variety. Additionally, the research also looks at how the consequences of these advancements have led to cyberbullying. Furthermore, the study also focuses on the media attention on cyberbullying due to its high-profile cases resulting in tragedy. The study desires to characterize the physical, mental, and prevalence health consequences of the bullying in question among young adults.
Hellfeldt, K., López-Romero, L., & Andershed, H. (2019). Cyberbullying and psychological well-being in young adolescence: The potential protective mediation effects of social support from family, friends, and teachers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 17 (1), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010045
The aim of this study was to test the relationship between the roles of cyberbullying and various psychological well-being outcomes and the potential mediation impact of perceived social support from teachers, friends, and family. The investigation was conducted in a cross-sectional sample of 1707 teenagers. The results concluded that the victim group of cyberbullying has high levels of depressive symptoms. Additionally, the group in question was subjective to low family support and well-being. Likewise, cyberbully-victims and cyber-victims showed high levels of anxiety symptoms. In conclusion, the study indicated that some social support types seem protective such that it mediates the relationship between psychological well-being and cyberbullying. Lastly, the article discusses potential implications for cyberbullying prevention strategies.
Kwan I., Dickson, K., Richardson, M., MacDowall, W., Burchett, H., & Stansfield, C. et al. (2020). Cyberbullying and Children and Young People’s Mental Health: A Systematic Map of Systematic Reviews. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking , 23 (2), 72-82. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0370 Database: Mary Ann Liebert Inc.
This research aimed to consolidate information from previous research on cyberbullying and review its impacts on the emotional and psychosocial welfare of children and young people. The results showed that there is a strong connection between cyberbullying and the mental well-being of children. Some of the effects that were found to occur were depression, hyperactivity, loneliness, stress, low self-esteem, poor social skills, and hostility. From these findings, it is evident that cyberbullying impacts children more than adults and these effects may prolong to adulthood. Therefore, measures should be put in the future to make sure that children are protected from cyberbullying.
Nixon C. (2014). Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics , 143. https://doi.org/10.2147/ahmt.s36456 Database: Dovepress
The objectives of this research paper were to determine the effects of cyberbullying on adolescents based on previous literature reviews and offer recommendations for future research. The results showed that adolescent perpetrators of cyberbullying also suffered negative effects such as hyperactivity, reactive aggression, substance abuse, and suicidal actions. The adolescents who were both victims and perpetrators were found to have reduced physical and mental health. Therefore, adolescents are some of the most vulnerable groups in cyberbullying, and attention should be focused on promoting their self-esteem and social skills. Specific problem behaviors such as aggression should be addressed by parents or experts to avoid the worsening of the effects during adulthood.
Peled Y. (2019). Cyberbullying and its influence on academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. Heliyon , 5 (3), e01393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01393 Database: Elsevier BV
The research was conducted to determine the effect of cyberbullying on the academic, social, and emotional growth of undergraduate students. The data used in this study was collected through the “Revised Cyber Bullying Survey” which computed the rate and means applied in the perpetration of cyberbullying. The results showed that more than half of the sample students experienced cyberbullying. It was concluded that cyberbullying through social networking sites and other informal media has no impact on academics or the academic environment, but cyberbullying through email impacts students academically. Cyberbullying was also found to affect young adults’ social and family life. There is also a visible trend in the victimization of the bullied students throughout their lives, which affects them in different aspects, such as careers.
Vaillancourt, T., Faris, R., & Mishna, F. (2016). Cyberbullying in Children and Youth: Implications for Health and Clinical Practice. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry , 62 (6), 368-373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743716684791 Database: SAGE Journals
This research reviews current studies on cyberbullying and its effects on youth and compares it to the literature present on traditional bullying. The findings showed that cyberbullying has several effects, which might be either long-term or short-term on the youth’s physical, mental, and academic life. Cyberbullying was found to have more physical, emotional, and academic effects compared to traditional bullying. These effects lead to deterioration in the youths’ social skills, health, and academic grades. The authors, therefore, suggest that healthcare providers should help the current counselors and teachers, who are mainly school-based, in helping the victims of cyberbullying.
References
Brack K., & Caltabiano N. (2014). Cyberbullying and self-esteem in Australian adults. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.5817/cp2014-2-7 Database: Masaryk University Press
Goshe, B. M. (2016). Cyberbullying among young adults: Effects on mental and physical health. OpenCommons@UConn. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2012&context=gs_theses
Hellfeldt, K., López-Romero, L., & Andershed, H. (2019). Cyberbullying and psychological well-being in young adolescence: The potential protective mediation effects of social support from family, friends, and teachers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010045
Kwan I., Dickson, K., Richardson, M., MacDowall, W., Burchett, H., & Stansfield, C. et al. (2020). Cyberbullying and children and young people’s mental health: A systematic map of systematic reviews. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(2), 72-82. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0370 Database: Mary Ann Liebert Inc.
Nixon C. (2014). Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 143. https://doi.org/10.2147/ahmt.s36456 Database: Dovepress
Peled Y. (2019). Cyberbullying and its influence on academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. Heliyon, 5(3), e01393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01393 Database: Elsevier BV
Vaillancourt, T., Faris, R., & Mishna, F. (2016). Cyberbullying in children and youth: Implications for health and clinical practice. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(6), 368-373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743716684791 Database: SAGE Journals
