Experiences of Online Bullying and Offline Violence‐Related Behaviors Among a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adolescents, 2011 to 2019

Abstract

BACKGROUND Being bullied online is associated with being bullied in school. However, links between online bullying and violence‐related experiences are minimally understood. We evaluated potential disparities in these associations to illuminate opportunities to reduce school‐based violence. METHODS We used five cohorts of Youth Risk Behavior Survey national cross‐sectional data (2011‐2019, Ntotal = 73 074). We used survey‐weighted logistic and multinomial models to examine links between online bullying and five school‐based violence‐related experiences: offline bullying, weapon carrying, avoiding school due to feeling unsafe, being threatened/injured with a weapon, and physical fighting. We examined interactions by sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual identity. RESULTS Being bullied online was positively associated with all offline violence‐related behaviors. Groups with stronger associations between online bullying and physical fighting, including boys, adolescents whose sexual identity was gay/lesbian or unsure, and many adolescents of color (Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander adolescents), had stronger associations between online bullying and either weapon carrying or avoiding school. CONCLUSIONS Online bullying is not an isolated harmful experience; many marginalized adolescents who experience online bullying are more likely to be targeted in school, feel unsafe, get in fights, and carry weapons. Reduction of online bullying should be prioritized as part of a comprehensive school‐based violence prevention strategy.

Annual Research Review: Sex, gender, and internalizing conditions among adolescents in the 21st century – trends, causes, consequences

“…Cyber‐bullying is a relatively novel exposure and its effects on mental health is an area of active study. Recent research has suggested that cyber‐bullying alone is less impactful than face‐to‐face bullying (Hase, Goldberg, Smith, Stuck, & Campain, 2015), and that students who experience cyber‐bullying are also more likely experience face‐to‐face bullying and vice versa (Kreski, Chen, Olfson, Cerdá, Martins, et al., 2022; Odgers & Jensen, 2020a); however, even small increases in both types of bullying experienced by girls at young ages suggests that bullying may be an important driver of growing gender differences in internalizing conditions.…”

Exploring the Bullying Behaviors and Coping Mechanisms in Undergraduates: A Phenomenological Study

“…Conversely, dietary components and environmental factors combine to influence a child's behavior, which can result in either positive or negative outcomes (Gallardo-Pujol & Pereda, 2013). In addition, loneliness is a factor in student bullying, suggesting that introverted students are more likely victims of bully because it provides an outlet for their resentment and rage (Kreski et al, 2022). Marginalized groups like immigrants or refugees rarely approach relevant authorities to report bullying encounters.…”

“…Despite exploring various aspects and perspectives about bullying, there it still stands as an unresolved phenomenon. Surprisingly, bullying mitigation strategies have received less attention more in developing countries than in the developed nations (Kreski et al, 2022). Internationally, several researches conducted to investigate bullying behavior, however, it received little attention in Pakistan (Hussain & Shah, 2021).…”

Kritički osvrt na istraživanja rizičnih ponašanja adolescenata na društvenim mrežama

“…Budući da istraživanja sugeriraju kako adolescenti većinu vremena kada su online provode na društvenim mrežama (1,3,4), istraživanja rizičnog online ponašanja adolescenata u svojim početcima fokusirala su se na različite oblike nasilja putem društvenih mreža (npr. vrijeđanje, objavljivanje neistina, slanje neželjenih sadržaja, krađu lozinki, preuzimanje tuđeg identiteta, online isključivanje) (6,10,11). U novije vrijeme kao posebni online rizici za adolescente ističu se ponašanja kojima oni ugrožavaju svoju online privatnost, odnosno privatnost svojih osobnih podataka, a to su komunikacija s nepoznatim osobama i objava sadržaja, osobnih informacija ili fotografija na društvenim mrežama (3,9,(12)(13)(14)(15).…”

“…There are different definitions and types of online risks, and according to the definition of the authors Livingstone and Stoilova (9), online risks for children and young people arise when an adolescent is exposed to potentially harmful online content, such as sexual or violent content; when he/she is the target of a potentially threatening online contact; when he/she is taken advantage of by a potentially harmful contract, such as contract concerning the purchase of certain products or he/she engages in conduct that may be harmful for him/her or another person, such as insults or other forms of verbal violence. Considering that research suggests that adolescents spend most of their online time on social networks (1,3,4), studies of adolescent risky online behavior initially focused on different forms of social media violence (e.g., insults, posting falsehoods, sending unwanted content, password theft, identity theft, online exclusion) (6,10,11). Nowadays, behaviors that endanger their online privacy, i.e.…”