Cyber Bullying Among Teenagers in Israel: An Examination of Cyber Bullying, Traditional Bullying, and Socioemotional Functioning

In this study, the relationships between cyber bullying and involvement in traditional bullying, with reference to social support and gender differences, was examined. Social support plays an important role in empowering victims of cyber bullying and has a significant influence on children and teenagers’ well-being. A sample made up of 458 Israeli junior high students (242 female, 216 male) in the age range of 11 to 13 completed 4 questionnaires. Results indicated that there is an overlap between involvement in cyber bullying and involvement in traditional bullying. The findings indicate that girls were more likely to be cyber victims than boys and that boys were more likely to be cyber bullies than girls. Examination of the relationships between gender and social support variables such as friends, family, and others, shows that girls who were cyber victims reported having more support in all 3 types than cyber bullied boys. These findings can serve as a basis for prevention and intervention programs to cope with cyber bullying.

Study findings indicate that 22.2% (n = 101) of the participants reported being both cyber victims and traditional victims (Tarablus, Heiman & Olenik-Shemesh, 2015). Depressive mood was reported by cyber victims, but not by students who have not been cyber victims. Cyber bullies reported having less family support and lower scores on mood than noncyber bullies. the findings showed that more girls than boys (19.4% vs. 12.1%) reported being cyber victims and more boys than girls (6.4% vs. 10.1%) reported being cyber bullies. Girls who were victims or bullies reported having more general, social, family, and others’ support. On the other hand, boys who were cyber victims or bullies reported higher feelings of general, social, and emotional loneliness than girls.