Cyberbullying among Children and its Comparison to Traditional Forms of Peer Violence

Abstract

In addition to traditional forms of peer violence (physical, verbal, relational, sexual, economic and cultural), children are increasingly involved in cyberbullying through electronic media. We present a literature review on peer violence in order to determine the similarities and specifics of cyberbullying, in comparison with traditional forms of peer violence. Similarities of these forms of bullying are manifested in the overlap of core elements in most conceptualizations of peer bullying and the correlation between being involved in the electronic and the traditional bullying perpetration, as well as in the correlation between both types of bullying victimization. On the other hand, some studies suggest that cyberbullying utterly differs from traditional forms of peer bullying in crucial elements of conceptual definitions of bullying, possible anonymity of perpetrators, wide audience and high spatio-temporal accessibility of violent content. In addition, we compare risk and protective factors for the involvement in traditional and electronic violence among peers (on individual, family, school and peer level). Despite the fact that the prevalence of traditional forms of peer victimization still exceeds the electronic forms of violence, both worldwide and in Croatia, due to cyberbullying specifics, it is essential for the current bullying prevention programs to implement certain activities specifically aiming at reducing cyberbullying among children.