Cyber-Bystander Behavior Among Canadian and Iranian Youth: The Influence of Bystander Type and Relationship to the Perpetrator on Moral Responsibility

Abstract

The current study examines how social determinants influence the way youth from Canadian and Iranian contexts evaluate and morally disengage as bystanders of cyberbullying. While Iranian culture differs from other individualistic and collectivist cultures, Iranian youth have become just as technologically acculturated as their global peers. Despite this, less is understood about how Iranian youth respond to cyberbullying in comparison to youth from individualistic societies. Participants from Canada (N = 60) and Iran (N = 59) who were between the ages of 8-to-15 years old (N = 119, M = 11.33 years, SD = 1.63 years) read 6 cyberbullying scenarios that varied according to Bystander Relationship to Perpetrator (Acquaintance or Friend) and Bystander Response (Assists Cyberbully, Does Nothing, Defends Victim). After reading each scenario, participants were asked to evaluate the bystander's behavior. They were also asked how they would feel if they were the bystander. Similar to past research, these responses were coded on a continuous scale ranging from morally disengaged to morally responsible. Overall, Canadians were more critical of passive bystander behaviors and more supportive toward defending behaviors compared to Iranians. Iranians were more supportive of the behaviors of bystanders who were friends of perpetrators than Canadians were, and Iranians were more critical toward acquaintances of perpetrators. Significant interactions were also found between participants' country of origin, the bystander's relationship with the perpetrator and the bystander's behavior. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of differentiating between negative judgments and moral attributions of bystander responses.

To defend or not to defend a cyber victim: The role of individual and situational characteristics in motivating active cyber defending among university students

“…However, with the addition of the situational characteristics, perceived popularity and the psychosocial cost of defending, higher levels of moral disengagement were found to be significantly related to passive outsider behaviour online, contradicting our hypothesis. This finding is consistent with the literature suggesting that high levels of moral disengagement is associated with passive defending online (Jeong et al, 2022;Nagar et al, 2022), whereas other studies have indicated that low levels of moral disengagement were related to passive bystanding online (Lo Cricchio et al, 2020;Sarmiento et al, 2019). At the same time, research has also revealed that moral disengagement was not associated with passive bystanding online (Lo Cricchio et al, 2020;Sarmiento et al, 2019), suggesting that the connection between moral disengagement and passive outsiders online is uncertain.…”

Factors influencing students' attitudes toward bullying: A multilevel analysis from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taipei

“…In addition, the institutional system of culture or subculture is a common and important acro system, usually having a subtle influence on human development, and studies have revealed that social and cultural characteristics are important influencing factors in students' attitudes toward bullying (Ferráns et al, 2012; Nagar et al, 2022; Nesdale & Naito, 2005). The World Values Survey (WVS) revealed that there were significant cultural differences among three Chinese regions: Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, although all three regions belong to the Confucian cultural circle.…”