According to the latest available Office for National Statistics data, 764,000 10- to 15-year-olds were cyberbullied in the year ending March 2020. 

The ONS statistics also showed that nearly three out of four children (72 per cent) who had experienced online bullying experienced at least some of it at school or during school time. 

We know that the effects of being bullied are serious. Longitudinal research has provided an insight into the long-term effects of being bullied during adolescence which include increased risk of anxiety, depression and suicidal behaviour in young adulthood.   

However, despite it becoming a huge issue, when we at the Early Intervention Foundation examined evidence on the effectiveness of school-based interventions designed to prevent bullying and cyberbullying, we found an absence of robust evidence and understanding of what works to prevent it.

We did not identify any primary studies examining the impact of cyberbullying prevention interventions. The implication of this is clear: without evidence of what works to prevent cyberbullying, we’re unable able to effectively combat the problem. 

What can work 

However, all is not lost. While there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of cyberbullying prevention interventions, our review highlighted the effectiveness of whole-school bullying prevention intervention in reducing cyberbullying victimisation. 

These interventions tend to operate at multiple levels including classroom curriculum and learning, school policies and procedures, the social and physical school environment and family and community support.

This, though, requires staff to have the skills and know-how to deliver on this - something that it seems many still lack based on findings from a survey we carried out with over 4,000 secondary school teachers.

This survey showed only one in three teachers (33 per cent) feel equipped to help stop cyberbullying among pupils while 60 per cent of secondary school teachers reported not having received any cyberbullying-related training in the past 12 months. 

Perhaps even more surprisingly, in terms of training, front line classroom staff are receiving less training than heads with only 40 per cent having had training versus 50 per cent of heads. 

Even when trained, the results from the survey seem to suggest current CPD in this area does not fully address their needs, with only 55 per cent of teachers who had received training in the last twelve months reporting they feel equipped to prevent cyberbullying.

Clearly, the quality of the training provided and how it addresses teachers’ needs is an important area for future research to ensure we get this right.

However, it is clear more action is needed now. So, what can schools do to start building a whole-school approach to tackle cyberbullying? We present three priorities for school leaders:  

1. Provide cyberbullying-focused training to teachers at all levels   

The provision of high-quality teacher training is necessary to equip all teachers with the knowledge and skills to prevent cyberbullying and nurture compassionate members of society.

As part of this, teachers need to be trained in whole-school principles to reduce cyberbullying as well as how best to respond to cyberbullying. 

Young people can also play an important role in informing teachers about new technologies to understand how they communicate.

2. Prioritise social and emotional learning 

The teaching of social and emotional aspects of learning (SEL) in both primary and secondary schools should be prioritised.

SEL is the process where students learn to develop and apply the necessary skills to prevent and/or manage cyberbullying related incidents. Such skills include: 

• Self-management skills - this includes the development of healthy conflict resolution skills and emotional and behavioural self-regulation skills which help with controlling impulses that can cause an act of aggression towards others. 
• Relationship building skills - it is essential that we support children and young people to develop positive and sustained friendships so that a healthy support network is established. As part of this, developing students’ empathy and perspective-taking is important in preventing cyberbullying and addressing bystander behaviour.
• Responsible decision-making skills - these skills play an important role in helping children and young people to become aware of the decisions and actions they take when interacting with others online. 

3. Reinforce SEL skills through non-curricular whole school strategies 

The development of children and young people’s skills through high-quality teaching and learning should be reinforced through a supportive school environment that fosters positive relationships and a sense of belonging. 

This includes developing strong policies on both traditional bullying and cyberbullying and acceptable-use policies for technology, providing staff with clear procedures to follow when cyberbullying occurs, providing parent learning opportunities. 

The approach requires a whole-school response involving all staff, pupils and their families.

We must act

The impact of cyberbullying may be greater than those of traditional bullying as a result of it having few constraints in terms of space and time and its ability to reach large numbers.

Research must invest in understanding the most effective means to preventing cyberbullying. Efforts should not be confined to responding to specific incidents of cyberbullying.

Instead, a focus on developing children and young people’s essential life skills including self-management, relationship and responsible decision-making skills is essential so that they are better prepared to understand and counter hateful messages online. 

Aleisha Clarke is assistant director of evidence and head of mental health research at the Early Intervention Foundation