Digital Self-Harm: Prevalence, Motivations and Outcomes for Teens Who Cyberbully Themselves

Bullying Victimization, Negative Emotions, and Digital Self-Harm: Testing a Theoretical Model of Indirect Effects

“…Male and non-heterosexual youth were also more likely to report having engaged in digital self-harm. Finally, Pacheco, Melhuish, and Fiske (2019) recently surveyed an online sample of 1,110 13-17-year-old New Zealand youth about experiences with digital self-harm in the past year. Six percent of respondents said they had engaged in digital self-harm, with nearly two-thirds having done so more than once.…”

“…1 Writing at the time, boyd speculated that the behavior may reflect a form of attention-seeking and a possible cry for help. Since boyd's (2010) commentary, academics have started to more systematically explore the demographic and behavioral correlates of digital self-harm, as well as motivations for engaging in the behavior (Englander 2012;Pacheco, Melhuish, and Fiske 2019;Patchin and Hinduja 2017). These early studies reveal, for example, that somewhere between 5% and 10% of adolescents engage in digital self-harm.…”

“…These early studies reveal, for example, that somewhere between 5% and 10% of adolescents engage in digital self-harm. Further, the motivations for engaging in the behavior, as stated by youth themselves, are varied and include self-hatred, depressive symptoms, and attention-seeking (Pacheco, Melhuish, and Fiske 2019;Patchin and Hinduja 2017). Of additional interest, digital self-harm is correlated with bullying victimization, deviant behavior, negative emotions, and physical self-harm (Patchin and Hinduja 2017).…”

New Zealand Children’s Experiences of Online Risks and Their Perceptions of Harm. Evidence From Ngā Taiohi Matihiko O Aotearoa – New Zealand Kids Online

“…Another Netsafe study asked teens whether they have anonymously posted or shared mean or negative online content about themselves. Findings about the prevalence of this online behaviour, also known as digital self-harm, show that a small number of teens (6%) did engage in this activity in the prior year, that it was more prevalent among younger teenagers (13 and 14 years old), and that the overall purpose was to seek others' attention -some of the main reasons reported by teens included: making a joke, wanting to show resilience, looking for friends' sympathy, and/or seeking reassurance of friendship among other reasons (Pacheco, Melhuish, & Fiske, 2019). Findings from another New Zealand-based study suggest that teens 1 +/-6.2% maximum error for each year of age, and +/-4.0% for each age group: 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17-year-olds.…”

Exploring New Zealand Children’s Technology Access, Use, Skills And Opportunities. Evidence From Ngā Taiohi Matihiko O Aotearoa - New Zealand Kids Online

“…As a large number of younger children watch online videos or play online games, there is a chance they are exposed to explicit violent and sexual content online. Likewise, as teenage girls, for example, are more likely to enjoy instant messaging and photo sharing tools, there are risks of being the subject of cyberbullying, online grooming, any form of image-based sexual abuse and/or digital self-harm (Pacheco & Melhuish, 2017;Pacheco, Melhuish, & Fiske, 2019). These and other risks pose valid concerns for parents as well as challenges for policy makers, researchers, educators, and support service providers.…”