Going viral: Investigating the short- and long-term traumatic effects of cyberbullying victimization on adolescents in schools.

Objective: Although studied to a lesser extent than traditional bullying, the literature on cyberbullying highlights the negative effects that this form of bullying can produce among its victims. However, it is unclear whether the immediate and long-term effects of cyberbullying differ, especially when longitudinal data on this form of bullying is lacking.

Method: Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey's 2011 and 2013 School Crime Supplement, we examine the negative effects of cyberbullying on various school outcomes during the immediate school year and after 2 years have passed.

Results: We find that the initial and prolonged effects of cyberbullying differ with most negative consequences occurring in the short term rather than the long term.

Conclusion: These findings indicate the need for early identification of cyberbullying and intervention by teachers and adults, whose support can reduce antisocial behavior and prevent short-term and prolonged negative outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).