Bystander intervention behaviors related to cyberbullying in a regional census of high school students

BACKGROUND: Little is known about bystander behaviors in situations involving cyberbullying. In the digital world, where cyberbullying can be “witnessed” by hundreds of youth, how often do youth intervene and seek help from trusted adults? METHODS: 24,459 students completed the 2012 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey, a regional census conducted in 26 MetroWest Boston high schools. Students reported cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months, whether they had witnessed cyberbullying, and whether they had intervened as bystanders by: (1) trying to stop the cyberbullying, (2) telling an adult at school, (3) telling a parent/non-school adult. Bivariate analyses examined associations of bystander behaviors with gender and victimization. FINDINGS: 22.0% of students reported being victims of cyberbullying (28.1% of girls, 14.4% of boys). While 41.7% had witnessed cyberbullied, only 15.2% of youth tried to stop the cyberbullying, 8.0% told a parent/non-school adult, and 4.4% told an adult at school. Girls were more likely to intervene than boys (e.g., 19.9% vs. 10.2% tried to stop the cyberbullying), and youth who were bullied themselves were more likely than nonvictims to take action (e.g., 91.5% vs. 4.8% told a parent/non-school adult). Youth were twice as likely to intervene in school bullying incidents compared with cyberbullying (e.g., 34.2% vs. 15.3% tried to stop the bullying; 10.3% vs. 4.6% told a school adult). CONCLUSIONS: Few youth intervene or seek adult help in cases of cyberbullying. It is important to identify ways that schools, parents and social media sites can work with youth to support prosocial bystander behaviors.