Results of a Questionnaire on Prevalence, Impact, Roles and Experienced Supervision in Traditional and Online Bullying Situations during Secondary Education among Adolescents in the Netherlands

In a retrospective survey of over 800 Dutch youths aged between 16 and 25 years, experiences with various types of online and offline bullying during secondary education were compared across gender and education groups based on the Multidimensional Offline and Online Peer Victimization Scale (MOOPV) of Sumter and colleagues (2015). In addition to the prevalence of offline and online bullying, our study examined the link between involvement in these two forms of bullying. It also explored the roles (victim, bully, encourager, follower, defender, outsider) played by the youths in bullying situations. Of all participants, 40.9% reported having been bullied during secondary school, with half of this group having experienced both offline and online bullying. The reported consequences of bullying were similar for both offline and online contexts, with the top three being anxiety, sleep problems, and depression. Participants indicated that they had experienced more supervision by relevant adults – such as parents and teachers – in offline environments. Additionally, adults and peers were more often present to prevent and resolve bullying situations than in online environments, according to the memories of our respondents. We explore the practical implications of these findings as well as provide incentives for further research. Clearly, children can and need to become more active as defenders of victims of bullying online, just as they are in the traditional, offline world. However, this requires all relevant adults to be aware of the risks, underlying factors, and their role in preventing and intervening in contemporary bullying.