Digital era bullying: An examination of adolescent judgments about bystander intervention online

Adolescents are increasingly exposed to online bullying, yet little is known about how to promote bystander intervention in response to cyberbullying. This study examines the influence of personal, family, and societal factors on adolescents' moral judgments and expected bystander responses to cyberbullying with 6th (N = 425, Mageinyears = 11.31, SD = 0.62), and 9th (N = 403, Mageinyears = 14.31, SD = 0.52) grade public school students. Hierarchical regressions demonstrated that sympathy and family management were related to ratings of cyberbullying as less acceptable. Participants who reported experiencing more racial discrimination judged cyberbullying as more acceptable. Additionally higher levels of empathy, secure attachment, and family management were related to higher intentions to intervene. Our findings suggest that family, societal and personal factors are all relevant to adolescents' evaluations of and responses to cyberbullying. These findings can guide future anti-bullying interventions to encourage bystander intervention in online settings.