Tackling Cyberbullying

Several characteristics distinguish cyberbullying from direct forms of traditional bullying (physical attacks, face-to-face verbal attacks, social exclusion). Cyberbullies can target a victim at any time and they can reach them wherever they are. A large audience can be involved, such as through the circulation of video clips or via the internet. The cyberbully has protection by the anonymity of electronic forms of contact, giving some safeguard against retaliation or sanctions. However, unlike traditional bullying, the cyberbully, in most cases, does not see the response of the victim, changing the usual satisfactions or inhibitions produced by this.

Professor Peter Smith, Department of Psychology, has been researching this new phenomenon. His first study (July 2005) investigated the perceptions and experiences of cyberbullying amongst a sample of 11 to 16 year olds. Building on a small number of studies already conducted in the UK, this research furthered an understanding of cyberbullying by examining factors such as age and gender, whilst also providing a distinction between differing types of media used to carry out cyberbullying. He also examined similarities between cyberbullying and traditional forms of bullying, in particular, looking at the location in which the bullying happened (inside or outside school), and the relative harm which each form caused to the victim.

These findings were published in 2006 as a Research Brief by the then DfES. The team then organised and chaired the first UK conference on cyberbullying, held at the Science Museum in June 2006, which brought together representatives from the DfES, internet service providers, mobile phone companies, police, schools, and academic institutions, to debate the issue and discuss future actions to prevent cyberbullying. The outcomes of both the study and conference helped to inform the development of new government guidelines on cyberbullying, published by Childnet.

In March 2006, Smith and his team carried out a larger survey to further assess the nature and prevalence of cyberbullying in the UK. This provided a more detailed examination of the relationship between bullying and cyberbullying, paying greater attention to the behaviours involved, effects on the victim, and the interplay between bully/cyberbully and victim/cybervictim roles.

Robert Slonje, a PhD student based at the unit, is also carrying out research investigating cyberbullying in Swedish schools. He is especially interested in the effect that cyberbullying has on those that experience it, and how different types of cyberbulling may affect people.

Smith and his team are also partners in a DAPHNE project until 2009, an EU-funded, collaborative research project with three other partners: Italy (Bologna University), Spain (Cordoba University), and Finland (Turku University). This is studying the incidence of cyberbullying among 12 to 17 year-olds, with particular emphasis on participant roles – for example, what actions witnesses to cyberbullying might take. They will also examine relationships between traditional bullying, cyberbullying, self esteem and loneliness. This is the first project to examine the group dynamics of cyberbullying and it extends the team’s research to include European comparisons.

It is hoped that results from DAPHNE and Smith’s other research projects will inform new guidelines for UK schools and parents, underpin or modify existing UK government guidelines on cyberbullying, and identify new areas of research, which include individual case studies of cybervictims and further investigations into effective anti-cyberbullying strategies.

Further information
Contact Professor Peter Smith, e-mail p.smith@gold.ac.uk, tel 020 7919 7870
www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/psychology/research