2026-04-30T11:25:10Zhttps://riubu.ubu.es/oai/request

oai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/111362025-12-16T01:05:38Zcom_10259_7570com_10259_3989com_10259.4_106com_10259_2604col_10259_7571

Bystander behaviour online and anti-cyberbullying self-efficacy among a post primary school aged sample In Ireland Sanmartín Feijóo, Sandra Laffan, Derek A. Sargioti, Aikaterini Sciacca, Beatrice McGarrigle, Jane Heaney, Darran Norman, James O'Higgins Bystander Cyberbullying roles Online behaviour Self-efficacy Intervention Ciberacoso Estudiantes de enseñanza secundaria Cyberbullying High school students Emerging research suggests that the dynamics of bystander behaviour online is complex and nuanced. Some of this research has identified differences between online bystanders and non bystanders in intervening in online bullying when it is witnessed online. However, little research has investigated the extent to which self-efficacy beliefs could predict whether or not online bystanders are more likely to carry out cyberdefending or cyberpassive behaviours. 225 post primary students in Ireland completed an online survey during the Safer Internet Day (SID) campaign which included questions about their use of Internet devices, behaviour when witnessing cyberbullying incidences, and anti-cyberbullying self-efficacy beliefs. The study considered 45.3% of the sample to be online bystanders who reported to have witnessed cyberbullying at least once over the last number of months. Online bystanders reported to use Internet devices significantly more often than non bystanders and also present as a bully-victim cyberbullying involvement role. Compared to non bystanders, online bystanders were found to be less confident when noticing, interpreting, and knowing what actions to take when cyberbullying happens to them. For online bystanders, prior victimisation was found to be a common predictor of both cyberdefending and cyberpassive bystander behaviour. However, having higher self-rated confidence to intervene in a direct cyberbullying incident was a significant predictor of cyberdefending bystander behaviour only. Implications of the study results are discussed in the context of interventions and research that addresses young people’s social norms online that can be considerably detrimental for effective intervention. Derek A. Laffan is in receipt of a funded bursary awarded from the National Educational Psychology Service (NEPS) in the Department of Education in Ireland to undertake his doctoral studies in educational and child psychology (DECPsy) at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland. Contributory funding for this research was also provided by META and the Vodafone Foundation Ireland. 2025-12-15T09:02:57Z 2025-12-15T09:02:57Z 2025-12 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 0013-1911 https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11136 10.1080/00131911.2025.2582556 1465-3397 eng Educational Review. 2025, p. 1-18 https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2025.2582556 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess application/pdf Routledge