Cyber-Bystander Behavior Among Canadian and Iranian Youth

The Influence of Bystander Type and Relationship to the Perpetrator on Moral Responsibility

Bibliographic Data

ID22093682
AuthorsPooja Megha Nagar (0000-0002-5507-8011, McGill University, corresponding author), Karissa Leduc (0000-0002-5196-7487, McGill University), Nadia Khalili (0000-0002-4571-2656, McGill University), Victoria Talwar (0000-0001-9806-0279, McGill University)
Year2022
Volume7
Publication date2022-04-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2297-900X • E-ISSN: 2297-900X
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fcomm.2022.796146
OpenAlexW4223914673
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited108

The current study examines how social determinants influence the way youth from Canadian and Iranian contexts evaluate and morally disengage as bystanders of cyberbullying. While Iranian culture differs from other individualistic and collectivist cultures, Iranian youth have become just as technologically acculturated as their global peers. Despite this, less is understood about how Iranian youth respond to cyberbullying in comparison to youth from individualistic societies. Participants from Canada ( N = 60) and Iran ( N = 59) who were between the ages of 8-to-15 years old ( N = 119, M = 11.33 years, SD = 1.63 years) read 6 cyberbullying scenarios that varied according to Bystander Relationship to Perpetrator (Acquaintance or Friend) and Bystander Response (Assists Cyberbully, Does Nothing, Defends Victim). After reading each scenario, participants were asked to evaluate the bystander's behavior. They were also asked how they would feel if they were the bystander. Similar to past research, these responses were coded on a continuous scale ranging from morally disengaged to morally responsible. Overall, Canadians were more critical of passive bystander behaviors and more supportive toward defending behaviors compared to Iranians. Iranians were more supportive of the behaviors of bystanders who were friends of perpetrators than Canadians were, and Iranians were more critical toward acquaintances of perpetrators. Significant interactions were also found between participants' country of origin, the bystander's relationship with the perpetrator and the bystander's behavior. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of differentiating between negative judgments and moral attributions of bystander responses

Attribution · Bystander effect · Collectivism · Developmental psychology · Helping behavior · Individualism · Political science · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Psychology · Social Psychology · Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment