Cyber bullying, media literacy and the Iranian adolescents

The aim of this research is to investigate the problem of cyber bullying, regarding Iranian adolescents, aged 15-19, and link it to the concepts of media literacy, digital citizenship, and online civic engagement. Firstly, the psychology of cyber bullying will be discussed: commonstimuli for adolescent online bullying and its social and individual consequences. Thence, a survey, using questionnaires as instruments, was conducted amongst high school students in 2 Northern boys and girls school in Tehran to quantify cyber bullying. The census is used to discuss the victim-bully-bystander relationships present in Iranian cyberbullying. Moreover, Iranian governmental and media efforts pertaining to the cyberbullying of adolescents is evaluated. Finally, other potential solutions are offered, such as the implementation of online civic engagement and education about digital citizenship, to alleviate the issue of online bullying.