Cyberbullying, Demography and Coping Strategies among Nigerian Students

Abstract

Cyberbullying is a concern among the youth in many parts of the world. The highly visible literature on the subject demonstrates the disquiet. This work investigates the Nigerian dimension by examining the demographic implications of online coping strategies of 1,000 students from six Nigerian universities. Findings show that demography significantly influences the adoption of coping strategies against cyberbullying (F(1,814) = 45.232, Adj. R 2 =0.246, p<0.05). One of the recommendations made is that anti-cyberbullying messages and preventive campaigns from university authorities should focus on single students and students who are new on the campus as they are more vulnerable to attacks than older and married colleagues. The study underscores this measure as a way of putting in check the menace of cyberbullying and its devastating effects on the mental and physical development of young people.