Perception of Cyberbullying in Adolescence: A Brief Evaluation Among Italian Students

These are the results of an Italian study on Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying is associated with the expansion of digital devices and the Internet and the phenomenon is growing. Young people who suffer from cyberbullying develop psychopathological symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social phobia that can lead to extreme acts, such as suicide. The pressure, the sense of isolation, and helplessness experienced by cyber-victims also affect their family and the school context.

In Italy, cyberbullying is one of the main discussed topics among middle and high school students. According to the Italian Observatory for Family, Social Policy, and Security , in 2017, 7% of adolescents aged between 11 and 13 years old (specially females) had been the victim of cyberbullying once or more per month. In European and non-European Countries, the rates of cyberbullying vary substantially between studies, with figures ranging from 6.5 to 72% for cyber victimization