Cyberbullying and Cyber Victimization as Online Risks for Children and Adolescents

Abstract. Cyberbullying is one example of a psychosocial developmental phenomenon caused by mediatization, a meta-process that increasingly shapes everyday practices and social relationships via mediating technologies and media organizations. Research on cyberbullying started less than two decades ago and has grown exponentially during the last few years. Despite the large body of evidence, the research field still is in its “forming” phase, and there are still major topics of debate. The main goal of this paper is to discuss some of the major challenges, identify major research gaps, and give some directions for future research. Summarizing the main findings from meta-analyses and systematic reviews, topics like definition and measurement, theoretical perspectives, risk and protective factors, developmental patterns, as well as prevention and intervention of cyberbullying and cyber victimization are discussed, and promising avenues for future research are outlined.