Living in an ‘electronic Age’: Cyberbullying among Irish Adolescents

The prevalence and nature of specific forms of cyberbullying (CB) in a sample of Irish post-primary school students, aged 12 to 18 years (n=122), are examined. Overall, CB was found to be less frequent than traditional bullying (TB). Although all forms of CB were largely short-term, CB was regarded by participants as worse than TB, with the notable exception of email. No significant relationships emerged between several background variables and CB. Overall rates of CB seem to be lower than in other countries, but further research would be required to determine its prevalence and nature.