It’s Time to Ask the Right Questions: Highlighting Critical Areas to Explore Cyberbullying in Adolescents

Abstract

Cyberbullying is recognized as a serious public health problem in youth and increasingly linked with both short and long term psychological, physiological and social consequences. In the age of social media, clinicians are expected to have a low threshold of suspicion for cyberbullying; however, an insufficient awareness of its prevalence along with a lack of available standardized interviewing techniques may become a barrier for its uniform assessment. This editorial underscores the importance of learning the differences between both traditional bullying and cyberbullying and to encourage providers to adopt creative ways to interview youth for early recognition and timely intervention.