Teens are Cyberbullying Themselves

According to a survey of middle and high school students in the United States, teens are bullying themselves online as a way to manage feelings of sadness and self-hatred and to gain attention from their friends. The researchers concluded that digital self-harm is a new problem that demands additional scholarly attention. A deeper inquiry as to the motivations behind this behavior, and how it correlates to offline self-harm and suicidal ideation, can help direct mental health professionals toward informed prevention approaches.

Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2017). Digital self-harm among adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 61(6), 761-766. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.06.012