The emergence of cyberbullying in primary school pupils

Research on school bullying is well established and since Olweus’ (1978) first significant research a multitude of studies have been published worldwide (e.g. Smith et al., 1999). Cyberbullying, which has been defined as, ‘An aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself’ (Smith, et al., 2008, p376) is a more recent phenomenon. There is a small, but growing, body of research which has examined cyberbullying, however, to date no research has looked specifically at when it emerges. The current study used focus groups with pupils (n=48), parents (n=21) and staff (n=20) from a number of primary schools to explore awareness and perceptions of the types of cyberbullying behaviours displayed in primary school and the ages at which these behaviours may first occur. The aim was to provide richer information about the nature of cyberbullying among primary school children. We will discuss our findings, specifically awareness and perceptions of the point at which cyberbullying emerges and its nature, in comparison to findings from older children and the implications for interventions and future research