“Willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” is defined as cyberbullying. Because of the targeted use of technology, it is a distinct type of bullying.¹⁾

Cyberbullying includes a variety of tactics such as “outing” (sharing highly personal information such as sexual orientation or a home address), “trolling” (posting inflammatory messages intended to elicit an angry or embarrassed response), and “revenge porn,” or the forwarding of sexually explicit messages and images.²⁾

The first studies on bullying in general were not conducted until the late 1970s.³⁾

When chat rooms and other online social forums were available to internet users in the 1990s, cyberbullying began to proliferate.⁴⁾

In one survey, over 75% of children aged 12 to 17 reported typical bullying at school, with 34% explicitly reporting cyberbullying.⁵⁾

While conventional bullying has been related to an increase in suicide ideation and attempts, cyberbullying has a considerably higher prevalence.⁶⁾

The great majority of students who reported being victims of cyberbullying claimed that the most common strategy was making mean-spirited online remarks.⁷⁾

Because of its anonymity, cyberbullying is often easier to conceal than traditional bullying, and many studies agree that its prevalence is likely underreported.⁸⁾

Instagram is the most widely used social media platform for cyberbullying. Facebook and Snapchat were ranked second and third, respectively.⁹⁾

Young people who claim to being conventional bullies are more inclined to bully others online and through other technology means.¹⁰⁾

Cyberbullying frequently reaches a “peak” between the seventh and tenth grades, before declining for younger and older age groups.¹¹⁾

Although boys are not far behind, girls are more likely to be victims of cyberbullying. Boys are more prone to cyberbully others than girls.¹²⁾

Women spend more time on social media than men, which has been linked to a higher likelihood of cyberbullying.¹³⁾

Both cyberbullying offenders and victims have reported poor emotions or sentiments as a result of their participation or suffering.¹⁴⁾

Cyberbullying does not require physical power to dominate; smaller, more tech-savvy individuals have discovered techniques to terrify others that were not before conceivable.¹⁵⁾