Bullying at University: The Social and Legal Contexts of Cyberbullying Among University Students

Abstract

Students within the university sector are “digital natives.” Technology is not “new” or “alien” to them, but rather it is an accepted and normalized part of everyday life. With this level of expertise and competence, we could assume that university students are relatively happy with their online relationships. However, in recent years, there has been a growing realization that, for some students at least, the online world is a very dangerous place. The age of the students is of key importance here too, as those in higher and further education are young adults, rather than children in need of parental support. From this perspective, the university as an institution has a duty of care to its students in their learning environment regardless of their age. In this article, we consider the social and cultural contexts that either promote or discourage cyberbullying among university students. Finally, the implications for policies, training, and awareness raising are discussed along with ideas for possible future research in this under researched area.