Cyberbullying

Question: How does cyberbullying escalate fast? 

Answer: This is a great question! Cyberbullying is a complex issue that is shaped by individual, social, and technological factors, all of which can contribute to how quickly it may escalate.  

To help answer this question, it might first be helpful to review different types of cyberbullying and potential risk factors, and then look at how these factors interact to drive cyberbullying escalation.   

What is Cyberbullying? 

Bullying is when someone is mean on purpose and tries to hurt another person, especially when they seem to have more power or control. Cyberbullying is bullying that happens online or through phones, apps, games, or social media. It includes sending, posting, or sharing mean, harmful, or false things about someone. Both bullying and cyberbullying can happen one-on-one or in a group.  

While cyberbullying can take place in several forms, some of the most common include: 

• Posting mean or embarrassing things about someone online 
• Harassment: repeatedly bothering or targeting someone 
• Blackmail: threatening someone to make them do something 
• Trolling: trying to upset someone on purpose to get a reaction 
• Sharing pictures without permission 
• Doxing: sharing someone’s private information online 

Risk Factors 

One study shows that cyberbullying and in-person bullying are often connected and can happen together, so they may have some of the same causes or risk factors. For example, struggles with friendships and mental or social challenges may be linked to both in-person and cyberbullying experiences.  

For cyberbullying specifically, one long-term study in Italy found that young people who did not fully understand online risks and who were involved in bullying at school were more likely to be a part of cyberbullying. Using media for too long or in problematic ways was also linked to a higher chance of being involved in cyberbullying. 

How Can Cyberbullying Escalate? 

There are a variety of reasons and ways that cyberbullying can escalate if not addressed early: 

• Trolling can turn interacting online into more serious, harmful behavior as feelings of fear and anger grow.  
• Anonymity (when people feel anonymous online) may make cyberbullies think that it is a “safe space” to hurt or victimize others, which may increase the frequency of such incidents.  
• Information can spread quickly: The nature of online platforms such as social media means that information can be shared broadly and quickly, which can make a cyberbullying situation escalate fast. 
• Barriers to seeking help may further contribute to cyberbullying escalation. Youth from one qualitative study shared that the idea of “needing help” may be perceived as a sign of weakness. They also described that they may not seek help because they were not confident that parents or caregivers would be able to provide meaningful help.   

Prevention and Solutions 

Because cyberbullying can escalate over time, it’s important to understand how it can be addressed early or prevented. Here are some resources and tips: 

• Familiarize yourself with common signs and methods of cyberbullying so that you can spot it when it happens. These resources from Stopbullying.gov might be helpful: 
  • What Is Cyberbullying? 
  • Cyberbullying Tactics 
  • Prevent Cyberbullying 
• Consider using available app features like reporting cyberbullying content, blocking people who are engaging in cyberbullying, and adjusting your privacy settings. The  Glossary of Digital Media Platforms has information on how to adjust these types of settings within different social media apps. 
• Cyberbullying might escalate if no one steps in to stop it.  
  • You can be a supportive bystander by offering to help them report the bullying. Stopbullying.gov has a list of ways teens can help prevent cyberbullying from happening or escalating. 
  • Consider telling a parent, teacher, or other trusted adult, like a school counselor, if someone you know is being cyberbullied.  

References  

• Blinka, L., Stašek, A., Šablatúrová, N., Ševčíková, A., & Husarova, D. (2022). Adolescents’ problematic internet and smartphone use in (cyber)bullying experiences: A network analysis. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 28(1), 60–66.   
• Dennehy, R., Meaney, S., Cronin, M., & Arensman, E. (2020). The psychosocial impacts of cybervictimisation and barriers to seeking social support: Young People’s Perspectives. Children and Youth Services Review, 111, 104872.   
• Evgin, D., Kılıç, K. M., & Sümen, A. (2025). Social media use disorder in high school students: A cross‐sectional study examining the relationship between cyber human values, cyberbullying, and Cybervictimization. Psychology in the Schools, 62(4), 1228–1241.   
• Kim, M., Ellithorpe, M., & Burt, S. A. (2023). Anonymity and its role in Digital Aggression: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 72, 101856.   
• Kubayi, M., Dube, S., & Radebe, F. M. (2025). The impact of cyberbullying: Perspectives from tertiary youth. South African Journal of Information Management, 27(1).   
• Sorrentino, A., Esposito, A., Acunzo, D., Santamato, M., & Aquino, A. (2023). Onset risk factors for youth involvement in cyberbullying and Cybervictimization: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.   
• Yang, Y., & Pan, Z. (2026). Unravelling the differences between collective trolling and collective cyberbullying: The impact of intergroup threats and collective narcissism on intergroup aggression in Social Media. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1–21.  

Age: 10-18 

Topics: Cyberbullying, bullying, harassment 

Role: Adolescent/Youth, Educator, Parent/Caregiver