Cyberbullying: A new form of peer violence by electronic means

Abstract

The first part of the article defines the phenomenon of cyberbullying, a new form of peer violence by electronic means (Internet, mobile phone...), diverse cyberbullying behaviors are identified, and differences and similarities of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying are analyzed. In addition, the work provides data from studies analyzing the prevalence of cyberbullying and in this context, the results of a study recently carried out in the Basque Country with 3,026 adolescents and youngsters are presented. The noxious effects of bullying in its different modalities and the significant prevalence revealed in the diverse studies underline the importance of identifying the children, adolescents, and youth who are involved in this type of violence. The second part of the article  describes an assessment instrument to measure cyberbullying (Cyberbullying. Screening of peer bullying, Garaigordobil, 2013). Complementarily, a classroom activity is proposed with the purpose of becoming aware of the harm suffered by the victim and of fostering empathy. The work concludes with the presentation of various action guidelines for parents and teachers to combat cyberbullying. The debate revolves around the importance of identifying bullying in all its modalities and of implementing programs in educational contexts to prevent and reduce all modalities of bullying.