Digital self-harm: Prevalence, motivations and outcomes for teens who cyberbully themselves

Abstract

This research report presents findings about the extent and nature of digital self-harm among New Zealand teens. Digital self-harm is broadly defined here as the anonymous online posting or sharing of mean or negative online content about oneself. The report centres on the prevalence of digital self-harm (or self-cyberbullying) among New Zealand teens (aged 13-17), the motivations, and outcomes related to engaging in this behaviour. The findings described in this report are representative of the teenage population of New Zealand by gender, ethnicity and age. Key findings are: Overall, 6% of New Zealand teens have anonymously posted mean or negative content online about themselves in the past year. Teenagers’ top reasons for this behaviour were: making a joke, wanting to show resilience, looking for friends’ sympathy, and seeking reassurance of friendship. By exploring the nature and extent of this behaviour, we are providing the online safety community, schools and parents with insights about a complex and, to some extent, hidden phenomenon involving New Zealand teens.

Fictitious online victimization: Exploration and creation of a measurement instrument

“…Characteristic for this syndrome is that the patient inflicts self-harm in a quest for sympathy, attention, and admiration for their ability to cope with their (so-called) “victimization.” Patchin and Hinduja (2017) opted for the term digital self-harm , which they defined as “the anonymous online posting, sending, or otherwise sharing of hurtful content about oneself” (p. 2). They added that this conceptualization encompassed self-harm that occurred through “SMS, email, social media, gaming consoles, web forums, virtual environments, and any other online platform yet to be conceived.” Bjornsen (2018: 239) described “self-cyberbullying or fictitious cyberbullying” as a “disturbing online phenomenon that crosses the boundary between catfishing and cyberbullying.” Finally, Pacheco et al (2019) used the term digital self-harm to refer to “the anonymous online posting or sharing of mean or negative online content about oneself” (p. 1).…”

“…In line with the findings of Englander (2012), boys were slightly more likely to participate in these two behaviors than girls (7.1% and 6.3% of the boys, and 5.3% and 4.2% of the girls). In the online survey conducted by Pacheco et al (2019, non-peer reviewed) in New Zealand between 20 July and 30 September 2018, among 1110 participants aged 13–17 years, respondents were asked “whether they have anonymously posted or shared online mean or harmful content about themselves in the past year.” Six percent of the respondents indicated they had engaged in this behavior, with 65% of them having done it more than once. There was no significant gender difference.…”

“…Finally, the study in New Zealand (Pacheco et al, 2019), in which motives were assessed via a closed question, revealed the following responses: “It was a joke” (33%), “I wanted to show others I could take it” (24%), “I was looking for sympathy from friends” (23%), “I wanted to see if someone was really my friend” (22%), “I don’t know why I did it” (18%), “I was looking for attention” (12%), “I was looking for help” (8%), and “Another reason” (5%). Boys more often indicated “it was a joke.” Girls, however, more often reported that they anonymously posted mean content online to show others “I can take it,” to look for their friends’ sympathy, and to seek reassurance of friendship.…”

“…This phenomenon has been described as self-cyberbullying, fictitious cyberbullying, digital self-harm , or digital Munchausen . Preliminary evidence suggests that especially adolescents might engage in this type of behavior and that it correlates with other problematic behaviors and poor mental health (Englander, 2012; Pacheco et al, 2019; Patchin and Hinduja, 2017). In this article, we aim to further explore this phenomenon by assessing forms, motives, and contents of victimization messages, the means undertaken to perform this behavior, and the platforms and pretended identities that are used.…”

New Zealand children’s experiences of online risks and their perceptions of harm. Evidence from Ngā taiohi matihiko o Aotearoa – New Zealand Kids Online

“…Another Netsafe study asked teens whether they have anonymously posted or shared mean or negative online content about themselves. Findings about the prevalence of this online behaviour, also known as digital self-harm, show that a small number of teens (6%) did engage in this activity in the prior year, that it was more prevalent among younger teenagers (13 and 14 years old), and that the overall purpose was to seek others' attention -some of the main reasons reported by teens included: making a joke, wanting to show resilience, looking for friends' sympathy, and/or seeking reassurance of friendship among other reasons (Pacheco, Melhuish, & Fiske, 2019). Findings from another New Zealand-based study suggest that teens 1 +/-6.2% maximum error for each year of age, and +/-4.0% for each age group: 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17-year-olds.…”