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Societies
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Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends
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Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2026) | Viewed by 5147

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Raquel Lozano-Blasco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Education, Zaragoza University, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: the psychological and educational impact of problematic Internet use among children and adolescents; media literacy, digital competence, and digital citizenship education; innovation in teaching methodologies, including the use of ICT, gamification, and active learning strategies
Dr. Diego Conejo

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Children and Adolescents, National University of Costa Rica, Heredia 40101, Costa Rica
Interests: socio-cognitive and socio-emotional foundations of child and adolescent development, with particular interest in how family dynamics, parenting practices, and educational environments influence academic and moral development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has significantly reshaped social interactions, especially among children and adolescents. Within this evolving digital landscape, cyberbullying has emerged as a complex and pervasive form of aggression characterized by anonymity, wide reach, and the persistence of harmful content. This Special Issue, ‘Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends’, aims to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective on current manifestations of online bullying, along with evidence-based strategies for prevention and intervention.

Focus: This Special Issue will explore how digital environments have transformed traditional bullying dynamics. Topics of interest include the spread of harmful content through social media, the role of emerging social roles such as trolls, and the influence of collective behavior—both protective and harmful—within online communities. Particular attention will be given to the psychological consequences of cyberbullying and the necessity of developing informed and context-sensitive responses.

Scope: We welcome empirical articles, conceptual papers, and systematic reviews or meta-analyses that investigate cyberbullying from diverse disciplinary perspectives, including psychology, education, communication studies, and digital sociology. Submissions should ideally address protective factors such as emotional and social intelligence, as well as the role of the classroom, peer groups, and families as key agents in buffering against digital aggression. Studies focused on digital literacy, online empathy, and the development of responsible digital citizenship will also be considered of particular relevance.

Purpose: The goal of this Special Issue is to foster a critical and updated dialogue on cyberbullying as a socio-technological phenomenon. By integrating emerging theoretical frameworks with current empirical findings, we aim to inform not only the academic community but also educators, policymakers, and practitioners involved in designing anti-bullying strategies and interventions in schools and communities.

Relation to the Existing Literature: While scholarly interest in cyberbullying has increased, much of the current literature remains fragmented or narrowly focused. This Special Issue seeks to move beyond traditional dichotomies between offline and online bullying, promoting a more integrative and dynamic understanding of digital aggression. Through the inclusion of meta-analyses and reviews, we aim to consolidate the existing evidence base, identify research gaps, and highlight innovative practices. Ultimately, this Issue aspires to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of online violence and to promote emotionally and socially intelligent responses within educational and digital ecosystems.

Prof. Dr. Raquel Lozano-Blasco
Dr. Diego Conejo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cyberbullying
  • digital harassment
  • online safety
  • digital literacy
  • anti-bullying strategies
  • youth mental health
  • social media bullying
  • educational technology
  • psychological impact
  • digital intervention

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 287 KB  
Article
Life Stress and Cyber Deviance Among College Students: The Mediating Role of Anxiety Sensitivity
by Jianmin He and Mohd Rustam Mohd Rameli
Societies 2026, 16(4), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16040120 - 2 Apr 2026
Viewed by 390
Abstract
This study evaluates how life stress acts as a catalyst for network anomie (online deviance) among college students, specifically examining the mediating influence of anxiety sensitivity. Through a quantitative framework, data were gathered from 612 undergraduates utilizing the Life Stress Scale, the Anxiety [...] Read more.
This study evaluates how life stress acts as a catalyst for network anomie (online deviance) among college students, specifically examining the mediating influence of anxiety sensitivity. Through a quantitative framework, data were gathered from 612 undergraduates utilizing the Life Stress Scale, the Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory, and the Network Anomie Behaviour Scale. Initial findings confirmed that digital deviance is relatively prevalent across the cohort. Demographic analyses revealed distinct patterns: male respondents and single-child participants experienced elevated punishment-related stress and engaged more frequently in online infringement. Furthermore, academic performance demonstrated a clear polarization effect; students at both extremes of the academic spectrum—particularly those in the lowest 5%—exhibited the most pronounced anomic behaviors. Regression models identified life stress, notably the punishment dimension, as a strong positive predictor of online norm violations. Additionally, anxiety sensitivity serves as a partial mediator in this dynamic, accounting for 7.78% of the overall effect. Ultimately, these results characterize life stress as a critical environmental vulnerability that directly fosters network anomie while indirectly aggravating these behaviors by elevating student anxiety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends)
19 pages, 387 KB  
Article
Ctrl + Alt + Remedy? Child Rights, Access to Justice and Preventive Responses to Cyberbullying in the European Union
by Enikő Kovács-Szépvölgyi, Brigitta Molnár and Bernadett Szakács
Societies 2026, 16(4), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16040116 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 406
Abstract
This study examines how European Union Member States address cyberbullying affecting children through legal and policy frameworks, paying particular attention to children’s rights. It employs a qualitative, document-based comparative methodology, applying a harmonized codebook to analyze definitional, legal, preventive, and reactive responses across [...] Read more.
This study examines how European Union Member States address cyberbullying affecting children through legal and policy frameworks, paying particular attention to children’s rights. It employs a qualitative, document-based comparative methodology, applying a harmonized codebook to analyze definitional, legal, preventive, and reactive responses across all 27 EU Member States. The analytical framework is grounded in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) initiative, and the Digital Services Act, which serve as normative benchmarks. Coding draws on EU-level harmonized sources, including Joint Research Centre outputs and the 2025 BIK policy reports, and aggregates the findings into a composite structural indicator capturing the formal regulatory and policy coverage of cyberbullying from a child rights perspective. The results indicate a high level of formal regulatory attention in most Member States, particularly regarding criminal law protection, educational prevention, and institutional reporting mechanisms. However, child-specific and child-friendly elements—such as explicit cyberbullying definitions, adapted reporting procedures, and tailored civil law remedies—remain uneven and limited. The study concludes that, despite comprehensive formal regulation, significant gaps persist in the integration of child-centered and access-to-justice-oriented mechanisms, underscoring the need for strengthened child rights approaches and further research on implementation and children’s lived experiences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends)
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16 pages, 566 KB  
Article
‘It Wasn’t the Pupils—It Was the Teachers’: How Pupils Perceive Teachers’ Involvement in (Cyber-)Bullying in Austria
by Carina Kuenz, Belinda Mahlknecht and Tabea Bork-Hüffer
Societies 2026, 16(3), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16030099 - 19 Mar 2026
Viewed by 420
Abstract
While school bullying has received substantial academic attention, the specific roles of teachers as (co-)perpetrators or bystanders in (cyber-)bullying dynamics remain markedly underexplored—particularly in the Austrian context. This article foregrounds pupils’ perception of teachers’ involvement in (cyber-)bullying. Drawing on feminist perspectives and insights [...] Read more.
While school bullying has received substantial academic attention, the specific roles of teachers as (co-)perpetrators or bystanders in (cyber-)bullying dynamics remain markedly underexplored—particularly in the Austrian context. This article foregrounds pupils’ perception of teachers’ involvement in (cyber-)bullying. Drawing on feminist perspectives and insights from digital and gender(-queer) geographies, as well as interdisciplinary (cyber-)bullying research, it explores how pupils perceive teachers’ involvement in bullying dynamics and how they believe it shapes the perceived severity, trajectories, and outcomes of (cyber-)bullying. In doing so, the article contributes a specific but underexplored perspective on power and violence in schools. The analysis is based on 41 written narratives produced by young people attending upper secondary vocational colleges in Austria. The findings reveal that pupils subjectively perceive teachers as taking on various roles in (cyber-)bullying dynamics, including preventers, (silent) accomplices, defenders, outsiders, and (co-)perpetrators. In these accounts, teacher involvement in bullying reinforces power hierarchies, intensifies victimisation, and intersects with peer bullying dynamics, creating a complex system of interrelated influences. The study highlights the intersectional nature of discrimination and bullying, showing how pupils’ identities are entangled with their embodied experiences of both teacher- and peer-perpetrated bullying. These findings suggest an urgent need for spatially and structurally informed reforms in school policies and teacher training programmes to address teacher-perpetrated bullying, raise awareness of teachers’ responsibility in peer bullying dynamics, and foster safer, more inclusive learning spaces for pupils in Austria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends)
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16 pages, 481 KB  
Article
Perceptual Differences Between Parents and Children Regarding Digital Violence
by Bojana Perić-Prkosovački, Nina Brkić Jovanović and Jadranka Runčeva
Societies 2025, 15(12), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15120327 - 25 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1354
Abstract
The rapid digitalization of children’s lives has created both opportunities and serious online risks. This study examines how parents and children perceive digital violence—a broad concept encompassing non-physical but harmful online behaviors such as cyberbullying, online harassment, impersonation, and social exclusion. Although these [...] Read more.
The rapid digitalization of children’s lives has created both opportunities and serious online risks. This study examines how parents and children perceive digital violence—a broad concept encompassing non-physical but harmful online behaviors such as cyberbullying, online harassment, impersonation, and social exclusion. Although these acts lack physical force, they are conceptualized as forms of violence because they may cause psychological harm and social exclusion, consistent with internationally recognized definitions of violence that include physical, psychological, and social dimensions occurring both offline and online. The research involved 5054 students (grades 5–8) and 6309 parents from elementary schools in Vojvodina. Quantitative data were collected through parallel questionnaires exploring experiences, perceptions, and protective responses related to digital violence. Findings show that children report greater exposure than parents recognize, revealing a gap in parental awareness of online risks. Only a small proportion of parents reported incidents to schools or institutions; however, this refers to all respondents, not only those whose children experienced victimization. Thus, the data indicate limited exposure rather than parental inaction. The results highlight the need to strengthen digital literacy, parent–child communication, and school–family cooperation for safer online environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends)
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16 pages, 238 KB  
Article
Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: How Cyberhate Travels from Social Media to Classroom Climate in Pre-Service Teacher Programmes
by Jesús Marolla-Gajardo and María Yazmina Lozano Mas
Societies 2025, 15(10), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15100284 - 10 Oct 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1542
Abstract
This article examines online hate as a driver of cyberbullying and a barrier to inclusive schooling, integrating theoretical, philosophical and methodological perspectives. We approach hate speech as communicative practices that legitimise discrimination and exclusion and, once amplified by social media affordances, erode equity, [...] Read more.
This article examines online hate as a driver of cyberbullying and a barrier to inclusive schooling, integrating theoretical, philosophical and methodological perspectives. We approach hate speech as communicative practices that legitimise discrimination and exclusion and, once amplified by social media affordances, erode equity, belonging and well-being in educational settings. The study adopts a qualitative, exploratory–descriptive design using focus groups with pre-service teachers from initial teacher education programmes across several Chilean regions. Participants reflected on the presence, trajectories and classroom effects of cyberhate/cyberbullying. Data were analysed thematically with ATLAS.ti24. Findings describe a recurrent pathway in which anonymous posts lead to public exposure, followed by heightened anxiety and eventual withdrawal. This shows how online aggression spills into classrooms, normalises everyday disparagement and fuels self-censorship, especially among minoritised students. The analysis also highlights the amplifying role of educator authority (tone, feedback, modelling) and institutional inaction. In response, participants identified protective practices: explicit dialogic norms, rapid and caring classroom interventions, restorative and care-centred feedback, partnership with families and peers, and critical digital citizenship that links platform literacy with ethical reasoning. The article contributes evidence to inform anti-bullying policy, inclusive curriculums and teacher education by proposing actionable, context-sensitive strategies that strengthen equity, dignity and belonging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-Bullying in the Digital Age: Evidences and Emerging Trends)
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