CYBER-VICTIMOLOGY IN PRACTICE: CONCEPTUALIZING CYBERBULLYING AND DESIGNING PREVENTION SYSTEMS

Abstract

Cyberbullying has become a salient form of adolescent victimization, shaped by the affordances of social networks and the routine integration of digital communication into youth daily life. This article develops a comparative criminological synthesis of cyberbullying as a distinct yet overlapping phenomenon with offline bullying, using a structured review approach and drawing on empirical indicators highlighted in recent international and national sources (2018–2024). The analysis foregrounds three interconnected domains: (1) prevalence and trends, including evidence that cyberbullying has reached parity with, and in some contexts surpasses, traditional bullying; (2) risk architecture, emphasizing intensity of social media exposure, digital competence and online practices, and socio-demographic vulnerability; and (3) mechanisms of harm specific to digital environments—anonymity, scalability of audiences, persistence of harmful content, and the 24/7 reach that increases revictimization. A focused national lens is provided through Uzbekistan, where PISA-2022-based indicators suggest that approximately one in six 15-year-old students experiences recurring bullying, with measurable academic losses and elevated vulnerability among boys, migrants, and urban students. The article concludes that effective prevention requires a multi-level strategy integrating schools, families, platforms, and state policy, and argues for the development of “cyber-victimology” as a criminological sub-field to strengthen early detection, evidence-based intervention, and holistic rehabilitation.