Practice Profile: School-Based Cyberbullying Prevention Programs

This practice aims to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and promote cyber-bystander behaviors among students in kindergarten through grade 12. This practice is rated Promising for reducing cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and is rated Promising for reducing bullying perpetration and victimization. This practice is rated Ineffective for promoting cyber-bystander behaviors.

Practice Goals

School-based Cyberbullying Prevention Programs aim to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and promote cyber-bystander behaviors among students in kindergarten through grade 12. Cyberbullying perpetration is the act of inflicting or receiving negative, damaging, or abusive language or harassment through different technology platforms (Pearce et al. 2011). Technology platforms may include but are not limited to text messages, email, instant messages, chatrooms, public or private social media, or videos through online platforms (Whittaker and Kowalski 2015). Examples of cyberbullying are 1) being intentionally excluded from information sharing, 2) online interactions or in-person interactions being shared online, 3) having passwords or personal information stolen, or 4) receiving harassment or threatening messages in gaming rooms (Bauman 2015). Individuals who witness bullying are referred to as bystanders or defenders. In instances of cyberbullying, individuals may be referred to as cyber-bystanders (Torgal et al. 2021).

Practice Components

Cyberbullying prevention programs in schools may employ some of the following programming components. These components are not mutually exclusive, and programs may use multiple components. Examples of common components appear below.

• A self-efficacy or skill-building component involves teaching or training students to develop a competency that they can then apply by themselves in the moment. Examples are empathy perspective-taking activities, effective communication, modeling, feedback, role playing, and goal setting (Torgal et al. 2021; Polanin et al. 2022).
• An empathy component involves utilizing empathy activation or perspective-taking activities. Examples are the empathy activation method of showing participants pictures of sad facial expressions or a video with a cyberbullying incident from the victim’s point of view (Torgal et al. 2021),
• Curricula and prepared materials are uniform, prepared components that guide the delivery of the program by teachers, counselors, school staff, and students’ family members. Examples are class curricula, handouts, homework, and worksheets (Polanin et al. 2022).
• A psychoeducation component focuses on developing awareness, understanding, and coping strategies to manage a condition and improve outcomes (Lukens and McFarlane 2004). Examples are raising awareness of cyberbullying, knowledge of cyber-safety, and general psychoeducation (Polanin et al. 2022).
• Digital media materials are multimedia components used in programs designed to enhance student engagement and participation. Examples are informational websites, interactive games, and video or online courses (Torgal et al. 2021; Polanin et al. 2022).
• A training component provides program participants with the knowledge, skills, and practice to accomplish a specific goal (Nation et al. 2003). Examples are bystander training that teaches participants how to recognize and avoid risky cyberbullying situations, and small group discussions on actions to take when witnessing an incident of cyberbullying (Torgal et al. 2021; Polanin et al. 2022).
• School climate or school policy are components that refer to a summation of students’ perceptions of the educational structures, values, practices, and relationships that create their school experiences (Thapa et al. 2013). Examples are whole school participation, school reporting policy, school disciplinary policy, risk assessment, screening, and classroom management (Polanin et al. 2022).
• Group or individual targeted responses are components that refer to delivering programs to a specific group of students rather than using a universal prevention approach. Group or individual sessions for those at risk for cyberbullying are examples (Polanin et al. 2022).

Polanin and colleagues (2022) conducted moderator analyses of school-based programs to reduce cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. These analyses resulted in several statistically significant findings. Programs with a focus on cyberbullying were found to have larger effects on both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, compared with programs with a focus on general violence prevention. Furthermore, programs that included a specific cyberbullying targeted component were found to have larger effects, compared with general prevention programming.

In addition, Torgal and colleagues (2021) conducted moderator analyses on studies evaluating the impact of school-based cyberbullying prevention programs on cyber-bystander outcomes. These analyses resulted in several statistically significant findings. For example, study samples that consisted of older students reported greater cyber-bystander treatment effects, compared with samples that consisted of younger students. In addition, programs that include an empathy activation component (e.g., perspective-taking activities) produced larger effects on promoting active cyber-bystander behavior, compared with programs that did not include an empathy activation component.

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Alley-Gating in Liverpool (England)

KiVa Antibullying Program

Prev@cib Program (Spain)

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?