The seminar was dedicated to the research of Professor Heidi Vendebosch’s team on cyberbullying, conducted since 2005.
Prof. Vandebosch presented the assumptions and main results of the analyses. In the first phase, the team conducted mainly problem-oriented research. In particular, they explored the prevalence of cyberbullying, the profiles of bullies, victims and bystanders, the impact of cyberbullying on young people’s physical and mental health, and the role of parents, schools, social networks and (news) media.
Gradually, based on the insights from the first phase, the concept evolved into more solution-oriented research. Several large, interdisciplinary and inter-university projects have developed and evaluated evidence-based (technological) interventions such as a serious game to promote a positive attitude, automated systems to detect cyberbullying on social networks and reflective interfaces (which make young people think twice before posting harassing content). Over time, the types of online aggression the team studied also diversified (online sexual harassment, slut-shaming, celebrity bashing,.…). In a similar way, the populations studied were expanded (from an almost exclusive focus on children and adolescents, to one in which online aggression among adults also became a point of interest).