Cyberbullying: Adolescents’ Experiences, Responses, and Their Beliefs about Their Parents’ Recommended Responses

Abstract

A total of 116 adolescents, ranging in age from 15 to 19 years, completed a questionnaire that assessed their experiences with cyberbullying, what they would do if they were a victim of cyberbullying, and what they believed their parents would recommend they do if they were a victim of cyberbullying. The proportion of adolescents who reported ever being cyberbullied was larger than the proportion of adolescents who reported ever cyberbullying another person. In addition, the adolescents reported that they were more frequently cyberbullied by same-sex peers than by opposite-sex peers. Although the adolescents’ preferred response to a cyberbully was congruent with the response they believed their parents would recommend (i.e., ignore the cyberbully), the adolescents anticipated that they and their parents would disagree on the individuals from whom the adolescents should seek advice if they were cyberbullied. Specifically, whereas the adolescents anticipated that their parents would want to be the primary advice-providers, the adolescents indicated that they would be more likely to seek advice from their friends than their parents or teachers if they were a victim of cyberbullying.