Cyberbullying among youngsters: profiles of bullies and victims
Abstract
A survey among 2052 primary and secondary school children reveals that cyberbullying among youngsters is not a marginal problem. However, there are discrepancies between the prevalence figures based on direct measurement versus indirect measurement of cyberbullying. Youngsters who have bullied someone via the internet or mobile phone during the last three months are younger, and are more often victims and bystanders of bullying via the internet or mobile phone, and are more often the perpetrators of traditional bullying. Youngsters who have been bullied via the internet or mobile phone during the last three months are more dependent upon the internet, feel less popular, take more internet-related risks, are more often a bystander and perpetrator of internet and mobile phone bullying, and are less often a perpetrator and more often a victim of traditional bullying. The implications for future research into cyberbullying and for cyberbullying prevention strategies are discussed.
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Intention can be difficult to determine due to limited social cues.
“intention can be difficult to determine due to limited social cues (23),”
From A thematic analysis of adolescents’ perceptions of cyberbullying and cyberaggression: definitional distinctions and educational gaps (2026) · cites this paper as [23]
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“…occur through a single act of perpetration that is repeatedly shared (18, 22); intention can be dif fi cult to determine due to limited social cues (23), but can be inferred from the persistence of the perpetrator or by adopting the perspective of a hypothetical, reasonable person (24); and power…”
- Authors
- Vandebosch, H., & Van Cleemput, K.
- Affiliations
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- University of Antwerp, Belgium,
- ORCID
- Vandebosch, Heidi
- Venue
- New Media & Society
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2009-11-24
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1349-1371
- ISSN
- 1461-4448 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7315
- OpenAlex
- W2145180132
- Cited by
- 555
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 48 · 2015: 57 · 2014: 50 · 2013: 40 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 20.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- New Media & Society (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Vlaamse regering
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection
- Keywords
- cyberbullying, traditional bullying, bullying victims, bullying perpetrators, bystanders, internet addiction, popularity, elementary school students, cyberbullying prevention
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