Cyberbullying : what does the research say ?

Victimization over the Internet has attracted increasing attention from researchers and healthcare professionals. Defined as 'willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text' it can not only undermine children's freedom to use and explore resources on the Internet but can also result in severe functional and physical ramifications. Research into cyberbullying is still in its infancy but a team of researchers from the U.S. conducted an Internet survey of 1,378 adolescent Internet users. There were no associations between gender or race and cyberbullying but computer proficiency and time spent on-line were positively related to both cyberbullying, victimization and offending. Cyberbullying experiences were also linked to respondents who reported school problems (including conventional bullying), assaultive behaviour and substance use.

Hinduja, Sameer and Patchin, Justin W. - Cyberbullying: an exploratory analysis of factors related to offending and victimization Deviant Behavior February 2008, 29(2), 129-156