A bullying expert from Trinity College says cyberbullying hurts everyone, including the bystanders who witness the behaviour.
As many as two in ten young people are victims of cyberbullying, but a much greater number who witness cyberbullying as bystanders are also negatively affected.
Conor Mc Guckin, Assistant Professor in Education at Trinity, who has recently published a new book on cyberbullying entitled "Cyberbullying: From Theory to Interventions".
Discussing bystanders, Dr Mc Guckin said "They have to make a decision - should I try to stop it, help the victim, or, more commonly, make a decision not to intervene in case it makes them a target of the bully. We must teach children to be 'upstanders' who stand up for the victim and not passive 'bystanders'."
An estimated 15-20% of young people are affected by cyberbullying compared to 30-40% of young people affected by traditional bullying.
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Ahead of Safer Internet Day, DCU has also published research which it says reveals the digital divide between parents and children.
DCU Anti-Bullying Centre's new survey of 900 Irish parents found that less than two in ten parents supervise their children's online activity.
Dr James O'Higgins, Director of the Anti-Bullying Centre at DCU said "Our research underscores the growing challenges and pressing need to create protections around children from cyberbullying."
Dr O'Higgins' team is currently developing a new online tool to combat cyber bullying in conjunction with the EU Erasmus Parentsnet project.
