A thematic analysis of adolescents’ perceptions of cyberbullying and cyberaggression: definitional distinctions and educational gaps - Report - MDSpire

A thematic analysis of adolescents’ perceptions of cyberbullying and cyberaggression: definitional distinctions and educational gaps

  • By

  • Emily J. Smith

  • Roshan Rai

  • Mark O. Scase

  • Amanda D. Wilson

  • June 29, 2026

  • 0 min

Share

Clinical Report: Exploring Adolescents' Views on Cyberbullying and Cyberaggression

Overview

This study investigates adolescents' perceptions of cyberbullying and cyberaggression, revealing significant confusion regarding definitions and educational gaps.

Background

Adolescents are increasingly active online, which raises their risk of encountering harmful behaviors such as cyberbullying and cyberaggression. The overlap and confusion between cyberbullying and cyberaggression complicate efforts to address these issues in educational settings.

Data Highlights

No numerical data was presented in the article.

Key Findings

  • Adolescents struggle to differentiate between cyberbullying and cyberaggression.
  • Participants expressed dissatisfaction with current educational resources on cyberbullying.
  • Barriers to reporting incidents of cyberbullying were identified by adolescents.
  • Adolescents' views were influenced by narratives of blame and responsibility.
  • Four main themes emerged from the focus groups: definitional confusion, educational inadequacies, school environment complexities, and social media as a perpetration tool.

Clinical Implications

The findings suggest that educational programs need to be updated to reflect adolescents' understanding of online aggression. Additionally, addressing the barriers to reporting incidents may improve support for victims.

Conclusion

The study underscores the importance of clarifying definitions and enhancing educational efforts regarding cyberbullying and cyberaggression among adolescents.

Related Resources & Content

  1. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2026 -- Development and validation of a scale of cyberbullying and online aggressive conduct in Brazilian adolescents
  2. Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), 2026 -- Adaptation and Validation of the Social Media Cyberbullying Victimization Scale Among Chinese College Students: Cross-Sectional Study
  3. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2026 -- Cyberbullying victimization identification and large language model-assisted assessment: a study of cyberbullying victimization lexicon construction and validation
  4. BMC Psychiatry (Springer), 2025 -- The effect of bullying victimization trajectory on internet gaming disorder and the mediating role of impaired resilience: a three-wave cohort study among Chinese adolescents
  5. Validate User, 2026 -- Digital Ecosystems for Children and Adolescents: Policy
  6. BMC Medicine (Springer Nature), 2026 -- Effectiveness of bullying prevention-associated interventions among children and adolescents: an umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis
  7. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2026 -- Longitudinal bidirectional relations between digital literacy and cyberbullying experiences in adolescence
  8. Validate User
  9. Effectiveness of bullying prevention-associated interventions among children and adolescents: an umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis | BMC Medicine | Springer Nature Link
  10. Longitudinal bidirectional relations between digital literacy and cyberbullying experiences in adolescence | Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Original Source(s)

Related Content