Universal Journal of Educational Research 1(1): 1-9, 2013 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2013.010101

Cyberbullying: A Review of the Literature

Charles E. Notar*, Sharon Padgett, Jessica Roden

Secondary Education Department, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Road N, Ramona Wood Building A-3, Jacksonville, AL 36265-1923, USA

*Corresponding Author: [email protected]

Copyright © 2013 Horizon Research Publishing All rights reserved

Abstract The article is a literature review on cyberbullying from 2007-2013. Topics covered in the review have been categorized starting with definition of cyberbullying; roles of persons involved and statistics of who is being targeted; reasons for cyberbullying; differences between traditional bullying and cyberbullying; and gender comparisons related to cyberbullying. This introduction to cyberbullying will provide a foundation for developing a cyberbullying intervention/prevention program.

Keywords Cyberbullying, Cyberworld, Online, Internet, Social Networking

1. Introduction The word cyberbullying did not even exist a decade ago,

yet the problem has become a pervasive one today. Cyberbullies do not have to be strong or fast; they just need access to a cell phone or computer and a desire to terrorize. Anyone can be a cyberbully, and such persons usually have few worries about having face-to-face confrontation with their victims. In fact, the anonymity of cyberbullying may cause students who normally would not bully in the tradition-sense to become a cyberbully (Poland, 2010).

The double-edged nature of modern technology, continuously balancing between risks and opportunities, manifests itself clearly in an emerging societal problem known as cyberbullying (Walrave & Heirman, 2011). More than 97% of youths in the United States are connected to the Internet in some way (Tokunaga, 2010). The number of children and teens who use the Internet at home is rapidly growing, with now over 66% of fourth to ninth graders able to go online from the comfort of their bedrooms. Children can engage in numerous Internet-based activities such as game playing, seeking information, and talking with friends. The constellation of benefits, however, has been recently eclipsed by numerous accounts of the Internet’s undesirable social implications, which appear in both scholarly literature and popular media. A fair amount of attention has been given to Internet offenses, including cyberstalking (Seto, 2002), sexual predation (Dombrowski, Lemasney,

Ahia, & Dickson, 2004, as cited in Tokunaga, 2010), and cyberbullying (Bhat, 2008; David-Ferdon & Hertz, 2007 as cited in Tokunaga, 2010), which collectively place the safety of children and teens who use the Internet into question (Tokunaga, 2010).

Bullying and hostility among children is a long-standing and pervasive social issue (Jones, Manstead, & Livingstone, 2011). Cyberbullying is the unfortunate by-product of the union of adolescent aggression and electronic communication and its growth is giving cause for concern (Hinduja & Patchin, 2008). While bullying among students is a recalcitrant problem in U.S. schools, research indicates that many students do not disclose bullying they experience or witness de