Prevalence of Cyberbullying among Ukrainian Young People
Prevalence of Cyberbullying among Ukrainian Young People

Summary/Abstract: Despite the numerous benefits of ICT, rapid and constant development has created a number of rather negative side effects. One of these is the problem of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is defined as an aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself. Cyberbullying refers to bullying and harassment of others by means of new electronic technologies, primarily mobile phones and the Internet. Cyberbullying has received significant media attention as certain cases have resulted in civil and criminal law suits filed against a perpetrator and/or a school. This article, thus, highlights the restriction on rights of cyberbullying victims among teenagers, and discusses potential problems with such an approach. It also discusses current practices to prevent cyberbullying. Many young people who are bullied do not tell anyone. School staff therefore is often unaware of which students are being victimised and when to provide support or assistance. A critical strategy to overcome this problem is to encourage victimised students to seek help and report this bullying. This study aims to analyse dissemination of cyberbullying among young people in Ukraine and examine main strategies to master this problem. These preliminary results have important implications for the types of strategies used to enhance the approachability of school staff and families to provide appropriate help and support for young people who are being bullied.

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