Cyberbullying Bystanders: Gender, Grade, and Actions among Primary and Secondary School Students in Australia

Marilyn Anne Campbell, Chrystal Whiteford, Krystle Duncanson, Barbara Spears, Des Butler, Phillip Thomas Slee

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Cyberbullying is a relatively new and serious form of bullying with negative social and emotional effects on both victims and perpetrators. Like traditional bullying, cyberbullying is a social phenomenon and often unfolds in the context of a large network of bystanders. This study examined gender and age of cyberbullying bystanders out of 2109 upper primary and secondary school students in Australia. The actions the bystanders took when a peer was cybervictimised were analysed. The results of the study suggested bystanders to cyberbullying were most likely not to do anything or help the person cyberbullied at the time. Girls were more prosocial in helping students who were cyberbullied than boys. In addition, those students who knew someone who was bullied in both ways were more likely to tell their parents and friends about it than those who knew someone who was cyberbullied only. Implications for prevention and intervention in cyberbullying are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDeveloping Safer Online Environments for Children
Subtitle of host publicationTools and Policies for Combatting Cyber Aggression
PublisherIGI Global
Chapter5
Pages113-129
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9781799816867
ISBN (Print)9781799816843, 1799816842, 9781799816850
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Oct 2019

Publication series

NameTrending Topics Book Series (TTBS) Book Series
PublisherIGI Global

Keywords

  • Cyberbullying
  • Cyberbullying bystanders
  • School-aged children

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