Cyberbullying on social media platforms among university students in the United Arab Emirates

Modern communication now almost exclusively relies on online technology, which can foster destructive or harmful behaviours. A significant example of such destructive or harmful behaviours is cyberbullying. Research suggests that cyberbullying is characterised by a transformation from the traditional bullying forms to online forms (Li, 2007) through social media platforms. Constant exposure to and interaction with online technologies, regardless of the convenience they provide, also expose its users to certain online connections that may at some point put their safety and emotional and psychological well-being at risk. Cyberbullying is considered one of the potential risks of relying on online technologies.
Recent research studies have revealed that cyberbullying and online harassment are considerable problems for users of social media platforms, especially young people.
A 2016 report of the Cyberbullying Research Centre indicates that 33.8% of middle-and high-school students aged between 13 and 17 are at some point subject to being victims of cyberbullying. Across most of the recent studies conducted in this sphere in the last decade, the prevalence rates of cyberbullying range from 10% to 40% (Kowalski et al., 2014; Lenhart, 2010; O’Brennan, Bradshaw & Sawyer, 2009).
For both individuals and organisations, the experience of cyberbullying has also been linked with significant negative outcomes such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, sleeping and eating disorders, and decreased academic performance (Beran & Li, 2005; Mitchell, Ybarra, & Finkelhor, 2007; Privitera & Campbell, 2009; Ybarra, Diener-West, & Leaf, 2007).
Moreover, bullycide has been an emergent phenomenon in many societies. It is a hybrid term that refers to the phenomenon of young people who experience different forms of bullying and its consequences taking their own lives. Tragic suicides resulting from bullying were recently reported in Canada, the United States of America (US), and the United Kingdom (UK). Such incidents also indicate the gravity of different forms of bullying (online and offline), especially through social media platforms where the victim has nowhere to hide and is constantly exposed to aggression.
Previous research has found different correlates and consequences associated with specific forms of cyberbullying (Waasdrop & Bradshaw, 2011). Physical and psychological health-related and academic performance-related impacts have been cited as major correlations in both traditional and cyberbullying (Kowalski & Limber, 2013).
Significantly, a need exists for additional research to examine the characteristics of cyberbullying in Arab communities due to its profound effects. The youth in the Arab world mostly suffers from different forms of bullying in silence due to social and cultural constraints.
Therefore, the current study aims to examine the pervasiveness of cyberbullying among university students in an Arab community by answering the following research questions:
RQ 1: What are the prevalence rates of cyberbullying among university students in Arab communities?
RQ 2: What are the different forms of cyberbullying on social media platforms among youth in Arab communities?
RQ 3: What are the youth’s views on cyberbullying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)?
RQ 4: Do students prefer to remain silent after being cyberbullied, or do they report such incidents?