Protecting adolescents from cyberbullying and cyberstalking

Adolescents are increasingly at risk for cyberbullying and cyberstalking. In the UK 83% of 12- to 15-year-olds have a smartphone, 75% have a social media profile and spend approximately 21hrs/week on the internet (Ofcom, 2017). Cyberbullying is an international public health risk, with risks to adolescent mental health including: depression, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal behaviour, and self-harm (Mirsky & Omar, 2015; Nixon, 2014). Cyberstalking is experienced by 5- 11% of 10- to 17-year-olds, and this figure is on the rise (Pereira & Matos, 2016).

Through our interdisciplinary team we can build an understanding of how people are making decisions to stalk and bully online, and how we can build deterrents (social, legal, and through enhancing cyber detection) of these behaviours. Moreover, anonymity and non-face-to-face communication provided by cyber environments shape the risk perception and risk attitude of adolescents; we believe that this perceptual and behavioural shaping is key to understanding risk exposure of adolescents online. We will focus on enhancing adolescents’ understanding of online risks, increasing the likelihood of incident reporting, and enhancing the support offered.

If you would like to learn more about key research findings and shape HIVE’s immediate plans and longer-term research agenda you can register to attend our consoltation event being held at Senate House (London) on 11th July 12pm-4pm. For further details, agenda and to register please go to: http://bit.ly/adolescentsafetyonline