The Changing Landscape of Peer Aggression: A Literature Review on Cyberbullying and Interventions

Abstract

While traditional forms of bullying have been steadily decreasing over the course of the last two decades, cyberbullying has emerged as a major concern among parents, teachers, and other professionals working with young people. Because cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon, its research base is not as well developed as research on traditional bullying. In this literature review, the authors synthesize current knowledge on cyberbullying’s prevalence among youth; its relationship to offline bullying; which youth are most likely to be perpetrators and victims; the negative effects of cyberbullying on victims; and the landscape of intervention efforts currently employed in the United States. In the process, they highlight areas in need of future research.