Cyber bullying: An emerging threat to pupil well-being

Pages: 374-377
Kirandeep Kaur, Shubhdip Kaur and Damanjit Sandhu (Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab)

Cyber bullying is an aggressive act or behaviour that is carried out using electronic means by a group or an individual repeatedly over time against a victim who cannot easily defend himself or herself. The present investigation focused upon gauging the impact of cyber bullying on adolescent’s (within the age range of 13 to 16 years) mental health and over all wellbeing. The study also aimed to explore gender differences in cyber bullying victimization. At first the subjects were screened for possible cyber bullying victimization. Later focus group discussions were conducted with adolescents having the experiences of cyber victimization. The results showed that cyber bullying tends to have detrimental effects on the physical, mental, emotional and social health of adolescent pupils, and it has far reaching negative impact on their overall wellbeing. Further, both boys and girls may have equal chances of being targeted by the cyber bullies.