Cyberbullying

Suicidal ideation can also derive from the non-adaptive usage of online communication by others, as in the case of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as the intentional use of information and communication technologies such as electronic mail, smartphone, short message services, and social media platforms, carried out repeatedly by a group or an individual, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviors against a victim who cannot easily defend him- or herself (100, 101). Cyberbullying constitutes a possible worrisome phenomenon, given its devastating, occasionally even fatal, consequences on a person’s life. Recent statistics point out that cyberbullying is prevalent on platforms based on visual content, such as Instagram (42%), Facebook (37%), and Snapchat (31%) (see the article by Petrov C. on statistics about cyberbullying, February 28, 2019). As the contents are shared and spread quickly online, the victim can experience, besides a lack of control, a series of highly negative psychological consequences, such as social anxiety (102), depression, and suicidal ideation and attempt, especially when bullying behavior perpetuates across time (103, 104). An investigation on social media usage and youths’ mental health revealed that cyberbullying appears to mediate this relation occurring in a set of negative outcomes, such as sleep problems and anxiety, more than the frequency of exposure to social media itself, with girls being more exposed to these effects (10). However, social media started adding certain features including the ability to report inappropriate content, comments, and to block users in order to stem violent and inappropriate behaviors.