Audio Visual Comics as Resilience for Child and Adolescent Protection from Cyberbullying in the Digital Era

Abstract

This study aimed to develop audio-visual comic media to reduce cyberbullying behavior among students. The research design was Research and Development (R&D). Audio-visual comic media met technical needs and built an anti-cyberbullying attitude through stories supported by audio-visual elements. Field tests showed that this media effectively increased students' understanding of cyberbullying protection efforts. Based on the results of the one-sample t-test, the media performance exceeded the minimum eligibility standards, with participant scores significantly higher than the reference value. This audio-visual comic media is an effective and interesting educational tool for protecting against school cyberbullying. The researcher believes that if audio-visual comic media is produced sustainably as an educational tool for cyberbullying protection in schools, especially in Central Java, it is not impossible that cyberbullying cases will continue to decline. Students who have been victims of cyberbullying will gain an understanding to heal their trauma, and the potential to become cyberbullying perpetrators in the future can be minimized. Meanwhile, students who generally can only be 'spectators' of cyberbullying are expected to become agents of change and peer counselors to help recover victims who experience trauma after cyberbullying at school.