Cyberbullying on Social Media: Causes, Effects, Prevention and Treatment

Authors

  • Nur Mawakhira Yusuf UIN Palopo
  • Amrul Aysar Ahsan UIN Palopo
  • Rinda Sarli UIN Palopo
  • Annisa Dewi Ayu Tri Ambarwati UIN Palopo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24127/gdn.v16i1.14396

Keywords:

cyberbullying, social media, causes, effects, prevention, treatment

Abstract

This research discusses the phenomenon of cyberbullying on social media which has a significant impact on individual mental health. Cyberbullying is a form of bullying carried out through social media that occurs in the form of sending negative comments, aggressive messages, or spreading negative content on various social media platforms. This research uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. The interview method was conducted on 6 subjects with an age range of 20-25 years. The purpose of this study is to analyse cyberbullying behaviour on social media, causal factors, impacts, prevention and handling of cyberbullying behaviour on social media. The results of this study indicate that cyberbullying behaviour on social media requires full self-awareness from each user and support from the surrounding environment. Positive thinking is a step and strategy that can help social media users to maintain emotional balance and reduce the adverse effects of cyberbullying behaviour on social media.

References

Adediran, A. O. (2021). Cyberbullying in Nigeria: Examining the Adequacy of Legal Responses. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue Internationale de Sémiotique Juridique, 34(4), 965–984. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-020-09697-7

Ajayi, V. O. (2017). Primary sources of data and secondary sources of data. Benue State University, 1(1), 1–6.

Akrim, A., & Sulasmi, E. (2020). Student Perception of Cyberbullying in Social Media.

Anjarwani, S. E., Jatmika, A. H., Agitha, N., Albar, M. A., & Afwani, R. (2022). Penggunaan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi yang bijak bagi remaja pada era globalisasi. Jurnal Begawe Teknologi Informasi (JBegaTI), 3(2). https://begawe.unram.ac.id/index.php/JBTI/article/download/840/142

Anyanwu, E., & Egbule, K. F. (2025). Cyberbullying among Nigerian Undergraduates on WhatsApp: A Speech Act Analysis of Group Chat Interactions. ESTAGA: Journal Of Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2(1). https://acjol.org/index.php/estaga/article/view/6746

APJII, P., Pengawas, D., Pusat, B. P., Harian, B. P., Baru, D. A., IP, P., Domain, I. T. L., & Data, G. (2014). Asosiasi Penyelenggara Jasa Internet Indonesia. Jakarta: APJII.

Aqillah, H. N., Suhaemi, K., & Monalisa, M. (2025). The Effectiveness of Peer Counseling in Addressing Cyberbullying Among Students in Islamic Boarding School. Bulletin of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 7(1). https://journal.kurasinstitute.com/index.php/bocp/article/view/1334

Arisanty, M., & Wiradharma, G. (2022). The motivation of flaming perpetrators as cyberbullying behavior in social media. Jurnal Kajian Komunikasi, 10(2), 215–227.

Ashktorab, Z., & Vitak, J. (2016). Designing Cyberbullying Mitigation and Prevention Solutions through Participatory Design With Teenagers. Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 3895–3905. https://doi.org/10.1145/2858036.2858548

Awan, F., & Gauntlett, D. (2013). Young People’s Uses and Understandings of Online Social Networks in Their Everyday Lives. YOUNG, 21(2), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/1103308813477463

Bhatnagar, S., & Narayan, S. (2024). From Screens to Self-esteem: Examining the Impact of Cyberbullying on Youth. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(2), 257–262.

Bochaver, A. A., & Khlomov, K. D. (2014). Cyberbullying: Bullying in the space of modern technologies. Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics, 11(3), 177–191.

BozyiÄŸit, A., Utku, S., & Nasibov, E. (2021). Cyberbullying detection: Utilizing social media features. Expert Systems with Applications, 179, 115001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2021.115001

Çakar-Mengü, S., & Mengü, M. (2023). Cyberbullying as a manifestation of violence on social media. Multidisciplinary Perspectives In Educational And Social Sciences Vi, 47. https://iksadyayinevi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/MULTIDISCIPLINARY-PERSPECTIVES-IN-EDUCATIONAL-AND-SOCIAL-SCIENCES-VI.pdf#page=52

Chakan, A., & Millenio, M. F. (2023). Protection of Cyberbullying Victims in Indonesia (An Overview of Law and Victimology). Semarang State University Undergraduate Law and Society Review, 3(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.15294/lsr.v3i1.53757

Choudhary, S., Nayak, R., Kumari, S., & Choudhury, H. (2019). Analysing acculturation to sustainable food consumption behaviour in the social media through the lens of information diffusion. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 145, 481–492.

Collantes, L. H., Martafian, Y., Khofifah, S. N., Fajarwati, T. K., Lassela, N. T., & Khairunnisa, M. (2020). The impact of cyberbullying on mental health of the victims. 2020 4th International Conference on Vocational Education and Training (ICOVET), 30–35. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9230008/

El Asam, A., & Samara, M. (2016). Cyberbullying and the law: A review of psychological and legal challenges. Computers in Human Behavior, 65, 127–141.

Eyuboglu, M., Eyuboglu, D., Pala, S. C., Oktar, D., Demirtas, Z., Arslantas, D., & Unsal, A. (2021). Traditional school bullying and cyberbullying: Prevalence, the effect on mental health problems and self-harm behavior. Psychiatry Research, 297, 113730.

Fahlevi, M., Saparudin, M., Maemunah, S., Irma, D., & Ekhsan, M. (2019). Cybercrime business digital in Indonesia. E3S Web of Conferences, 125, 21001. https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/abs/2019/51/e3sconf_icenis2019_21001/e3sconf_icenis2019_21001.html

Fahrimal, Y. (2018). Netiquette: Etika jejaring sosial generasi milenial dalam media sosial. https://demo.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10673/1978/82-Article%20Text-387-1-10-20180713.pdf?sequence=1

Firth, J., Torous, J., Stubbs, B., Firth, J. A., Steiner, G. Z., Smith, L., Alvarezâ€Jimenez, M., Gleeson, J., Vancampfort, D., Armitage, C. J., & Sarris, J. (2019). The “online brainâ€: How the Internet may be changing our cognition. World Psychiatry, 18(2), 119–129. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20617

Flander, G. B., Stimac, D., Bagaric, E. S., & Vinscak, M. (2014). Patterns of and Copying with Cyberbullying in Croatia. International Journal of Person Centered Medicine, 4(4), 251–256.

Forssell, R. C. (2020). Cyberbullying in a boundary blurred working life: Distortion of the private and professional face on social media. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 15(2), 89–107.

Fraser, M., & Dutta, S. (2010). Throwing sheep in the boardroom: How online social networking will transform your life, work and world. John Wiley & Sons.

Ginting, R. M., & Sahlepi, M. A. (2024). The Impact Of Cyberbullying On Adolescents On Social Media. International Journal of Sociology and Law, 2, 95–105.

Jain, V. (2021). Bullying and cyberbullying descriptions. Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research, 10(10), 854–859. https://doi.org/10.5958/2278-4853.2021.00970.8

Javed, N., Ahmed, T., & Faisal, M. (2025). Cyber-aggression: A comprehensive study on cyberbullying recognition and intervention in social media context. Advances in Science, Engineering and Technology, 445–450.

Jhaver, S., Ghoshal, S., Bruckman, A., & Gilbert, E. (2018). Online Harassment and Content Moderation: The Case of Blocklists. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 25(2), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1145/3185593

Kang, H., Wang, Y., Wang, M., Al Imran Yasin, M., Osman, M. N., & Ang, L. H. (2023). Navigating Digital Network: Mindfulness as a Shield Against Cyberbullying in the Knowledge Economy Era. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 15(3), 13233–13271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-023-01604-2

Kee, D. M. H., Alâ€Anesi, M. A. L., & Alâ€Anesi, S. A. L. (2022). Cyberbullying on social media under the influence of COVIDâ€19. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 41(6), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22175

Khairunnisa, R., & Alfaruqy, M. Z. (2022). Hubungan antara kecerdasan emosional dengan cyberbullying di media sosial twitter pada siswa SMAN 26 Jakarta. Jurnal Empati, 11(4), 260–268.

Kibe, L., Kwanya, T., Kogos, A., Ogolla, E., & Onsare, C. (2022). Types of Cyberbullying Experienced on Facebook by Undergraduate Students in Kenyan Universities. Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 6(2), 149–182.

Kim, B. K., Park, J., Jung, H. J., & Han, Y. (2020). Latent profiles of offline/cyber bullying experiences among Korean students and its relationship with peer conformity. Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 105349.

Kintonova, A., Vasyaev, A., & Shestak, V. (2021). Cyberbullying and cyber-mobbing in developing countries. Information & Computer Security, 29(3), 435–456. https://doi.org/10.1108/ics-02-2020-0031

Kizza, P. J. (2024). Unmasking the Cyberbully: Understanding the Psychological and Social Dynamics behind Online Abuse. Res. Invent. J. Law Commun. Lang, 3, 119–123.

Konishi, C., Zhang, M., Vargas-Madriz, L. F., & Wong, T. K. (2023). Cyberbullying and the roles of family and morality: From a social-emotional learning perspective. In Cyberbullying and Values Education (pp. 172–191). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003314509-14/cyberbullying-roles-family-morality-chiaki-konishi-melody-zhang-luis-francisco-vargas-madriz-tracy-wong

Kumar, D. (2024). Cyberbullying: Types And The Effects Of Victimization. Mindful Media: Mental Health Challenges in the Digital Age, 285.

Kwak, D.-H., Kim, D., Lee, S., Kang, M., Park, S., & Knapp, D. (2025). The effect of blockability affordance on confrontation against cyberbullying on social networking sites: Theoretical and methodological implications. Internet Research, 35(2), 912–942.

Li, S., Marsaglia, N., Garth, C., Woodring, J., Clyne, J., & Childs, H. (2018). Data Reduction Techniques for Simulation, Visualization and Data Analysis. Computer Graphics Forum, 37(6), 422–447. https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.13336

López, C. A., & López, R. M. (2017). 4.8 hate speech, cyberbullying and online anonymity. Stavros Assimakopoulos Fabienne H. Baider Sharon Millar, 80. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/27755/1002250.pdf?sequence=1#page=88

Margolis, J., & Amanbekova, D. (2023). Social Media and Cyberbullying. Teens, Screens, and Social Connection: An Evidence-Based Guide to Key Problems and Solutions, 79.

Martins, M. J. D., & Correia, A. (2020). Bullying, cyberbullying and risks associated with digital technologies: Perspectives of adolescents and family. ICERI2020 Proceedings, 8233–8239. https://library.iated.org/view/DMARTINS2020BUL

Meikle, G. (2016). Social media: Communication, sharing and visibility. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315884172/social-media-graham-meikle

Mezmir, E. A. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: An overview of data reduction, data display, and interpretation. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 10(21), 15–27.

Moeljatno, S. H. (2021). KUHP (Kitab undang-undang hukum pidana). Bumi Aksara.

Mursaleen, M., Jabeen, S., & Ramzan, A. M. (2025). Social Media And Adolescent Mental Health: The Role Of Cyberbullying In Depression And Self-Harm. Al-Aasar, 2(1), 86–97.

Nasional, B. P. H., Manusia, H. A., & Indonesia, R. (2015). Draft naskah akademik rancangan undang-undang tentang Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana (KUHP). Badan Pembinaan Hukum Nasional. https://www.mediajustitia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/RKUHP.pdf

Niu, J., Mazhar, B., Haq, I. U., & Maqsood, F. (2024). Protecting Privacy on Social Media: Mitigating Cyberbullying and Data Heist Through Regulated Use and Detox, with a Mediating Role of Privacy Safety Motivations. Social Media + Society, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051241306331

Noval, C. (2024). Implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Protection of Cyber Bullying Victims on Social Media According to Law No. 1 of 2023. Journal of Social Science, 5(6), 1545–1560.

Oksanen, A., Oksa, R., Savela, N., Kaakinen, M., & Ellonen, N. (2020). Cyberbullying victimization at work: Social media identity bubble approach. Computers in Human Behavior, 109, 106363.

Oktavia, D., Salsabiyla, R., Noviyanti, A. D., Budianto, S., & Pasopati, R. U. (2023). Cyberbullying and Its Impacts on Self-Loathing Behavior. Proceeding of International Seminar Enrichment of Career by Knowledge of Language and Literature, 11(1), 185–196. https://ejournal.unitomo.ac.id/index.php/eckll/article/view/7709

Oladimeji, A., & Kyobe, M. (2021). Factors influencing cyberbullying on Instagram among university students. 2021 Conference on Information Communications Technology and Society (ICTAS), 139–144. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9394974/

Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2022). Cyberbullying Among Tweens in the United States: Prevalence, Impact, and Helping Behaviors. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 42(3), 414–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/02724316211036740

Paulovich, F. V., Arleo, A., & Van Den Elzen, S. (2025). When Dimensionality Reduction Meets Graph (Drawing) Theory: Introducing a Common Framework, Challenges and Opportunities. Computer Graphics Forum. https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.70105

Peluchette, J. V., Karl, K., Wood, C., & Williams, J. (2015). Cyberbullying victimization: Do victims’ personality and risky social network behaviors contribute to the problem? Computers in Human Behavior, 52, 424–435.

Piccoli, V., Carnaghi, A., Grassi, M., Stragà , M., & Bianchi, M. (2020). Cyberbullying through the lens of social influence: Predicting cyberbullying perpetration from perceived peer-norm, cyberspace regulations and ingroup processes. Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 260–273.

Prada-Ramallal, G., Roque, F., Herdeiro, M. T., Takkouche, B., & Figueiras, A. (2018). Primary versus secondary source of data in observational studies and heterogeneity in meta-analyses of drug effects: A survey of major medical journals. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0561-3

Putri, F. A. (2014). Opini Siswa Terhadap Tindakan Cyberbully Di Media Sosial. Jurnal Risalah, 3.

Putri, P. D. L., Sudana, D., & Bachari, A. D. (2020). Presupposition Analysis in Twitter Reply Columns in Alleged Cyberbullying Case. 4th International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (ICOLLITE 2020), 529–535. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icollite-20/125949345

Rajbhandari, J., & Rana, K. (2023). Cyberbullying on Social Media: An Analysis of Teachers’ Unheard Voices and Coping Strategies in Nepal. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 5(2), 95–107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-022-00121-1

Rastati, R. (2016). Bentuk perundungan siber di media sosial dan pencegahannya bagi korban dan pelaku. Bandung Institute of Technology. https://www.academia.edu/download/53469364/Bentuk_Perundungan_Siber_di_Media_Sosial_dan_Pencegahannya_Bagi_Korban_dan_Pelaku.pdf

Rizza, C., & Pereira, Â. G. (2013). Social networks and cyber-bullying among teenagers. EUR-OP. https://www.academia.edu/download/71696171/Social_networks_and_Cyber-bullying_among20211007-1467-cg3bqc.pdf

Sahakian, T. (2024). Young Adults, Self-Esteem, Psychological Well-Being, and Positive Psychology. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. https://search.proquest.com/openview/658a12f526cf2e86efe7569c0689ddd3/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Saltz, S. B., Rozon, M., Pogge, D. L., & Harvey, P. D. (2020). Cyberbullying and its relationship to current symptoms and history of early life trauma: A study of adolescents in an acute inpatient psychiatric unit. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 81(8). https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/cyberbullying-and-adolescent-mental-health/?CLICK=1

Sarabadani, E., & Morovati, Z. (2022). Comparison of psychological problems and sleep quality in two groups of cyberbullying victims and normal people. Iranian Evolutionary Educational Psychology Journal, 4(1), 103–114.

Silvia, P. J., & O’Brien, M. E. (2004). Self-Awareness and Constructive Functioning: Revisiting “the Human Dilemma.†Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(4), 475–489. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.23.4.475.40307

Smith, P. K., Del Barrio, C., & Tokunaga, R. S. (2012). Definitions of bullying and cyberbullying: How useful are the terms? In Principles of cyberbullying research (pp. 26–40). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203084601-5/definitions-bullying-cyberbullying-peter-smith-cristina-del-barrio-robert-tokunaga

Sobkin, V. S., & Fedotova, A. V. (2021). Adolescents on social media: Aggression and cyberbullying. Psychology in Russia, 14(4), 186.

Song, J., & Oh, I. (2018). Factors influencing bystanders’ behavioral reactions in cyberbullying situations. Computers in Human Behavior, 78, 273–282.

Spector, P. E. (2011). The relationship of personality to counterproductive work behavior (CWB): An integration of perspectives. Human Resource Management Review, 21(4), 342–352.

Subramanian, A., Kodavati, K. P., Kanchustambam, J., & Gothwal, V. K. (2024). Social media use and vision impairment in adults between the ages of 18 and 35 years in India. Optometry and Vision Science, 101(6), 329–335.

Sukrillah, A., Ratnamulyani, I. A., & Kusumadinata, A. A. (2017). Pemanfaatan media sosial melalui whatsapp group FEI sebagai sarana komunikasi. Jurnal Komunikatio, 3(2). https://ojs.unida.ac.id/JK/article/download/919/665

Tas’adi, R., Gistituati, N., & Ananda, A. (2020). Cyberbullying in the digital age: A common social phenomenon. 2nd International Conference Innovation in Education (ICoIE 2020), 196–200. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icoie-20/125948032

TÅ‚uÅ›ciak-Deliowska, A. (2018). Using Technology to Prevent Peer (Cyber)bullying and Antisocial Behavior. International Journal of Pedagogy, Innovation and New Technologies, 5(1), 32–43. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0012.2137

Topan, A., Anol, S., TaÅŸdelen, Y., & Kurt, A. (2025). Exploring the Relationship Between Cyberbullying and Technology Addiction in Adolescents. Public Health Nursing, 42(1), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13433

Velensia, M., Soetikno, N., & Chandhika, J. (2021). The role of conformity towards the self-control on adolescence cyberbullying. International Conference on Economics, Business, Social, and Humanities (ICEBSH 2021), 281–286. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icebsh-21/125959514

Wagner, A. (2019). E-victimization and e-predation theory as the dominant aggressive communication: The case of cyber bullying. Social Semiotics, 29(3), 303–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2019.1587832

Wiciak, M. T., Shazley, O., & Santhosh, D. (2024). Social Media Behaviors and Lifestyle Changes in Young Adults (Ages 18-28 years) During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis From an International Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 15. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319241228117

Widana, I. W. (2020). The effect of digital literacy on the ability of teachers to develop HOTS-based assessment. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1503(1), 012045. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1503/1/012045/meta

Widiasih, N. P. S. (2019). Anonymity in the action of Cyber bullying. Rechtsidee, 6(1), 10–21070.

Wigati, M., Diponegoro, A. M., & Bashori, K. (2020). Roles of empathy, emotion regulation and school climate against cyber bullying in high schools in merangin, Jambi. American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science, 3(8), 72–79.

Xu, D., Liu, Y., Zeng, Y., & Liu, D. (2025). Virtual reality in adolescent mental health management under the new media communication environment. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1–13.

Yanis, F. (2022). Analisa Perilaku Cyberbullying Pada Remaja Perempuan Di Jejaring Sosial Instagram Analyis Of Cyberbullying Behavior In Teenage Girls On Instagram Social Network. Promedia (Public Relation Dan Media Komunikasi), 8(1). https://journal.uta45jakarta.ac.id/index.php/kom/article/view/5714

Zavoianu, E., & PâniÈ™oară, I.-O. (2020). Cyberbullying prevention and intervention programs-are they enough to reduce the number of online aggressions? Journal of Education Culture and Society, 11(1), 126–135.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-31

Issue

Section

ARTICLES