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• Written by Scott Bivens
• Category Cyberthreats
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Although an often complex issue, cyberbullying can be straightforwardly defined as “repeated intentional harm through the use of electronic devices” (Fredrick et al., 2023). Cyberbullying can lead to anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, social withdrawal, suicidal ideation, self-injuring behavior, and suicide attempts, which create a significant public health issue (Fredrick et al., 2023). The 21st century youth extends their reality to include cyberworld where they create and build relationships, communicate, seek entertainment, and increasingly learn. If not addressed, exposure to cyberbullying negatively impacts academic achievement, lowers attendance, decreases student engagement, and fosters a negative perception about education. (Choi & Park, 2021). 

Because the Internet is never off, persistent threats seek to cause harm regardless of if the student is in the classroom or not. Most teens and preteens spend part of their time immersed in connected environments online and often feel a sense of community there. (Choi & Park, 2021). This familiarity may lead some to overlook the very real dangers that lurk online. A safe learning environment, however, requires community-wide effort which also involves institutions, administrators, parents, learning management system vendors, IT personnel, and the students in addition to the teachers. 

Strong, positive student-teacher relationships create pathways for teaching user-level preventive and responsive action through concepts of cyber ethics, digital literacy, and digital citizenship skills (Fredrick et al., 2023). Digital citizenship skill development and social emotional learning can reduce mental health issues and counter cyberbullying risks (Fredrick et al., 2023). Applying critical thinking skills to digital content promotes effective content evaluation and supports strategy development to build resilience against online disinformation and exploitation (Ohu & Jones, 2025). Parents and teachers need to teach students about protecting sensitive, personal information and the dangers of sharing information online (Tate, 2025). To that end, students should set social media profiles to private, avoid making connections with strangers, and avoid navigating outside trusted environments. (Lehman, 2023).

Policies must outline reporting criteria and processes in addition to identification of unacceptable behavior. Students, faculty, parents, and all stakeholders need to understand these characteristics and processes. School-wide, collaborative cyberbullying prevention programs are more effective than others. Enhanced digital citizenship skills lower the prevalence of online harassment involvement (including cyberbullying) and increase the rates of bystander action (Cantone et al., 2015; Fredrick et al., 2023). Collaborative, safe learning environments, integrated digital literacy curriculums, and institution-wide effort leads to enhanced individual psychological resilience against threats, exploitation, and efforts of misinformation and disinformation (Fredrick et al., 2023; Ohu & Jones, 2025). Several areas through which bullying in online settings can be prevented include creating a tolerant, respectful environment, dealing with inappropriate behavior immediately, and building strong teacher-student relationships (Tate, 2025). Through a positive relationship, educators can empower students to practice online safety and protect themselves from threats.