Digital Aggression: Cyberbullying among Russian Teenagers

For citation: Sokolova D.V. (2017) Agressiya v Internete: rasprostranenie kiberbullinga sredi rossiyskikh podrostkov [Digital Aggression: Cyberbullying among Russian Teenagers]. Mediaskop 2. (in Russian). Available at: http://www.mediascope.ru/2315

© Darya V. Sokolova
Employee of the Chair of New Media and Communication Theory at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia), darina0306@gmail.com

Abstract

This study investigates the nature and the extent of teenagers' experience of cyberbullying. A survey study of 116 pupils from Russian cities (megapolises and centers of federal districts) was conducted. The sample includes adolescents from 7 till 11 grades (13−17 years old). The results show that 47.4% youngers were cyberbullying victims. Some differences were identified in terms of gender: the majority of victims (64.2%) were girls, but there is no gender difference between aggressors. Female victims were more likely to inform adults that their male counterparts. The most common methods for electronic bullying involved the social networks, messengers, e-mail. The main motives for harass others are the desire to have fun (35%), revenge (31%) and annoyance (25%). The study creates a portrait of typical buller: pupil from senior grades (10−11), who spends daily over 3 hours in the Internet and has been cyberbullied during more than a week. The article concludes with recommendations to prevent cyberbullying among teenagers.

Keywords: cyberbullying, aggression, Internet, social networks, VKontakte.

Notes

Cyberbullying Research Center. Available at: http://cyberbullying.org/about-us

EU Kids Online III. Available at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/EUKidsOnline/About-the-project.aspx

Otchet o deyatel'nosti Fonda razvitiya Internet za 2015 god [Report on Activity of the Development Fund for the Internet for 2015]. P. 29. Available at: http://www.fid.su/reports/fid-report-2015.pdf (aссessed: 20.02.2017).

Posle izbieniya shkol'nika v Zhukovskom prinyato reshenie uzhestochit' nakazanie za kiberbulling [After the Beating of a Schoolboy in Zhukovsky a Decision Was Made to Tighten the Punishment for Cyberbullying]. Available at: http://obrzregiona.ru/news/zakon/posle-izbieniya-sholnika-v-zhukovskom-prinyato-reshenie-uzhestochit-nakazanie-za-kiberbulling (aссessed: 26.02.2017).

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