Cyberbullying on social networking sites : its prevalence, nature and effects among Form 3 and 4 students in Maltese state schools

Abstract

This research identifies the prevalence and the types of cyberbullying experienced on social networking sites (SNSs) by Forms 3 and 4 students in Maltese state schools, and explores the effect this has on victims, perpetrators and bystanders. It aims to raise awareness and to conjure an initial idea of this relatively new phenomenon which has become more frequent in the past years as technology is evolving. This research may be of use to teenagers, their families and professionals such as social workers and policy makers who may gain further insight into this type of bullying. This may incite action to combat and protect these teenagers from the dangers which may lurk online. The study adopted a quantitative approach. After obtaining the necessary consent, the data was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by 338 male and female students in Forms 3 and 4who attended two Maltese secondary state schools pertaining to the same college. The data was then compiled in a data set through which graphs and tables were generated, and variables were compared. A total of 97.3% students claimed to have made use of an SNS a least once, 98.5% of which made use of Facebook. Victims who claimed to have been subject to at least one cyberbullying attack added up to 60.7%, 24.4% of whom were still being bullied to that day, while 38.3% reported to have perpetrated at least one of the types of attacks listed. No particular differences by gender were noted. Teasing was the most prevalent type of cyberbullying, possibly due to the fact that it is easy to perpetrate and it might not be perceived as being very serious. In fact, 64.9% of perpetrators deemed their actions as not being very serious. This however may be contrasted to the effects of the bullying on victims who claimed to have felt ashamed, alone, and angry. A number of victims claimed to have missed school (16.1%), had thoughts of self-harm (17.3%) and suicidal ideation (13.2%). Most victims who informed someone about this bullying (58.7%) claimed to have told a friend (69.2%) or a parent/guardian (64.4%), however few informed school staff such as teachers (9.6%). A great number of bystanders were reluctant to take action when the victim was someone they did not know well (49.4%), however this amount decreased when the victim was a close friend of the bystander‟s (20%). These findings demonstrate that this phenomenon is definitely present amongst these teenagers and that it is a problem which needs to be addressed. Victims and bystanders rarely approached professionals, therefore professional intervention was minimal. Social workers need to be informed about this phenomenon; they need to make their role clear and they need to liaise with school staff in order to detect victims and give help. Moreover help should also be given to perpetrators so as to target the root of the issue, since mere punitive action is not enough to curb cyberbullying.