Cyberbullying Victimization Among Generation Alpha Students in International Non-Govtal Schools in Erbil City: The Case of 7th, 8th, and 9th Grades

Cyberbullying refers to the use of digital technologies to harass, threaten, humiliate, or target one or more individuals, including sending online and text threats, posting or tweeting abusive, aggressive, and violent messages, as well as sharing personal information such as photos or videos designed to harm or embarrass another person. In this context, Generation Alpha denotes children born in or after 2010, who are considered digital natives, having been born and raised in the age of artificial intelligence and using technology for most aspects of their lives. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of cyberbullying and determine the demographic characteristics of victims among children belonging to Generation Alpha in International Non-Governmental Schools in Erbil City, Iraq. The specific objectives were to assess the prevalence of cyber victimization among Alpha generation students in Erbil's international schools and identify the most common forms of cyberbullying experienced by this generation. The study is a quantitative research with a descriptive method design and uses a social survey method for analyzing the data. Data were collected through an online questionnaire and hard copy questionnaires administered to a cluster sampling of students from international non-governmental schools in Erbil. In conclusion, the findings indicate a notable rate of cybervictimization among Generation Alpha students in Erbil's international schools. Various types of cybervictimization were identified, with cyber exclusion and cyber harassment being the most prevalent forms. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between Generation Alpha's level of internet use, their use of specific social media platforms, and their likelihood of experiencing cyberbullying victimization.