Cyberbullying: Urgent attention to the evolving issue

Abstract

With the changes in technology and accessibility to various social media platforms, cases of cyberbullying are also rising. There is an urgent need to address this issue and take the necessary steps. In this chapter, the author has first tried to drive attention toward the definition of cyberbullying and the criticism around that. There is evidence that mentions that evolving media and technology act as new channels for cyberbullying to take place in ways not witnessed before, thus a dire need to come to a globally accepted definition of cyberbullying. It then highlights the prevalence of cyberbullying and the methodologies used to research the prevalence rates. It further highlights the limitations and drawbacks of the methodologies used in those studies. The chapter also focuses on the consequences of cyberbullying like psychosocial adjustment, general adjustment issues, social issues, and academic downfall in a student's life. The author has then utilized a case study approach to describe the extreme consequence of cyberbullying, Suicide. Lastly, the chapter argues that not one legal body is responsible for tackling cyberbullying, rather schools, parents, police and many more stakeholders need to come together to design intervention techniques. These interventions once in place, then need to be checked with further follow-ups.