Cyberbullying is relatively new; however, the phenomenon emerged before the rise of the internet. Using traditional bullying as a foundation, researchers have described cyberbullying as “an aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of interaction, frequently and over time against a victim who cannot readily defend himself or herself” (Kowalski et al., 2019, 23). There are various types, such as direct–aggressive actions directed at the victim by the bully. While the other, indirect cyberbullying occurs across multiple media and can reach more people. Academics have classified cyberbullying’s manifestations in even greater detail: flaming, exclusion, outing, and trickery (Kowalski et al., 2019). The core feature of a concept is anonymity, with allows the bully to hide their identity, which makes a victim feel powerless. Therefore, the idea of cyberbullying is similar to the traditional but realized through online platforms with new approaches.
The primary target of cyberbullying is school students, particularly middle and high school. The percentage in U.S. schools varies according to race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and relations with peers. According to Kowalski et al. (2019), up to 51% percent of middle school students experienced bullying, while 5% more than once. Similar results appeared in the high school statistics, with approximately 35% of students reporting cyberbullying, and 14,5% said they bullied other students. Additionally, LGBTQ students (age 12-17) experience almost twice more bullying than non-LGBTQ people, 52,4% (Kowalski et al., 2019). Thus, the statistic shows a high rate of cyberbullying among students.
Individual, family, and peer factors also affect the bullying experience. According to Kowalski et al. (2019) research, several features of children’s and youths’ personalities, attitudes, and actions have been linked to the risk or protective factors for cyberbullying. Low self-esteem is among the most frequently mentioned personality risk factors for bullying victimization. Lack of self-control, social anxiety, aggressive impulses, and an antisocial personality are additional risk factors for people. However, improved emotion control and self-confidence in one’s ability to defend oneself are preventative measures against being cyberbullied.
Social interactions with peers and family dynamics may be reasons for victimization or the means of perpetration. These relations were studied according to the Social Learning Theory (SLT) to locate social patterns that prevent harmful experiences. The study by Chen et al. (2020) shows that the quality of the family relationship is critical in developing social interactions; for instance, children affected by warmth parenting can more effectively regulate negative emotions and reduce aggressive behaviors. According to SLT, it has been shown that expressing gratitude is associated with less aggressive conduct among participants who have experienced insults and that empathy significantly moderates the association between feeling grateful and less aggressive behavior (Chen et al., 2020). Additionally, children develop their sense of empathy by observing the words and body language used to describe the feelings of others around them. Positive parenting practices may therefore influence how children develop empathy. Children’s emotional stability, optimism, and sincerity can be encouraged, which will aid in their ability to adjust to their surroundings and foster empathy. With effect sizes of 17.89 percent in high school students, cognitive empathy served as one of the predictor variables for cyberbullying perpetration (Chen et al., 2020). Therefore, due to the SLT, scholars developed a system of traits that can help prevent further aggression while growing up.
The inclusion of an empirical study of bullying as a cyber offense is supported by other findings from research on SLT factors. According to recent research, the analysis of individual variations, such as self-control, may also raise the risk of engagement in harmful conduct, particularly cyber offending (Nodeland & Morris 2018). SLT elements, such as the differential association, can define the need for a skill set that people often learn through human contacts or experiences. Nodeland and Morris’s (2018) work reveals that interacting with peers who encourage cyberbullying impacts engaging other peers. For instance, a student’s individualized act of bullying provokes similar behavior among his friend group. Exposure to ideas, tactics, and procedures for engaging in aggression is ever-expanding as people spend more time online, build new relationships, deepen existing ones, and access an increasing number of resources.