Gender-based cyberbullying: Understanding expected bystander behavior online

Abstract

As online access grows widespread, individuals may be increasingly subjected to cyberbullying, including cyber-harassment targeting one's gender. Although bystander intervention can help stop bullying, little is known about factors that promote bystander intervention in instances of gender-based cyberbullying. This study examines expected bystander responses to gender-based cyberbullying with emerging adults from the United States (N = 373, Mage = 18.89, SD =.94). Hierarchical regressions demonstrated that women, those with prior experience as victims of gender-based discrimination and those encountering male transgressors were more likely to expect that they would support a victim of gender-based cyberbullying. Additionally, the better participants were at perceiving and understanding emotions, the less they expected that they would support the cyberbully and the more they expected they would support the victim of gender-based cyberbullying.