The Experience of Social Media Bullying by Teenagers in the UK

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Research Proposal
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Topic: The experience of social media bullying by teenagers in the UK
Research Question
The primary question of the project is to investigate how teenagers who have been bullied on
social media have handled the aftermath. The secondary question guiding the research will
examine the effects of social media bullying on teenagers. As such, the research will
investigate the physical, intellectual, emotional and social impacts of social media bullying.
These research questions were chosen because it is crucial to explain the experience of social
media bullying and the impact of bullying on teenagers. While some teenagers may be
limited in the amount of information that they are willing to share, a section of the public
would like to know more about the experiences and implications of social media bullying on
the victim’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and social well-being. The current study will,
therefore, seek to answer these questions within the project.
Introduction
The project is mainly about bullying. Bullying is a prevalent issue in modern day Britain and
has affected millions of people. Bullying can impact the lives of teenagers in many ways,
both in the long term and in the short term. The effects of bullying can lead to the developed
of mental health problems like depression and anxiety (StopBullying, 2017). Such effects are
harmful to teenagers who are typically vulnerable due to the various biological and physical
changes involved. A report by Ditch the Label, a British anti-bullying survey sampled
students aged between 12 and 20 years. The project aims to examine the statistics and reasons
for bullying prevalence (DTL, 2017). The most common social media platforms among
teenager in the UK are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Battisby (2016) indicates that Facebook has the highest percentage of active teenage users
making up nearly 60% of the youth population. Social media allows teenagers the freedom to

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socialise freely and share their interests. It also gives them the opportunity to interact with
their role models and idols. However, teenagers forget that these celebrities are equal human
beings just like them and they too fall victim to online bullying. For instance, Rihanna, Lady
Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Kate Middleton, and Jacky Chan who have previously been bullied
Suggest, 2014; Savage and Miller, 2011).
A Review of Literature/ Context
This section discusses the previously published research studies not older than 2007, which
relate to the topic of this proposal. From the research, several essential themes were
identified.
Theme 1: Teenage Bullying on Social Media
‘Teenage bullying’ appeared numerous times during the research because teenagers often fall
victim to bullying due to the changes in their physical appearance. A study by (Frisén et al.,
2007) was conducted to determine why teenagers fall victim to online bullying and most of
the respondents indicated physical appearance as the most prevalent reason behind bullying
which often leads to the development of low self-esteem. Teenagers undergo puberty, a stage
in life that involves physical changes which may be attractive or unattractive to other people.
Most teenagers do not understand why people would choose to dislike a particular trait like
weight or height. The theme of teenage bullying was selected because the primary focus of
the study is on individuals who have previously experienced online bullying.
Theme 2: Mental Health
Another recurrent theme was mental health. The study focuses on individual wellbeing yet
online bullying has the potential to affect the mental health of its teenage victims. The impact
on mental health typically varies from depression, anxiety, mood swings and self-esteem
(Choices, 2018). Luckily there are organisations and agencies in Britain that support

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individuals with mental health challenges and also functions to reduce the occurrence of
mental health cases. When people are experiencing adverse emotional changes caused by
sudden events such as financial challenges, relationship problems or bereavement, they often
undergo stress which is a precursor for mental health problems (O’Keeffe and Clarke-
Pearson, 2011). The most common health problems of this nature are anxiety and depression.
An abstract developed by Arseneault et al. ( 2010) states that teenagers suffer from distress
and adaptation to specific situations which may lead to mental health issues that can lead the
teenage victims of bullying to cause harm to themselves, develop violent behaviour and
psychotic symptoms. Mental health is one of the major themes in this proposal because it is a
significant health problem among the teenage victims yet this health issue should not arise in
teenagers at such an early stage in life.
Theme 3: Social Isolation
Individuals who are socially isolated are sometimes referred to as misfits. Social isolation
occurs when a person is marginalised from the community. Teenage victims of bullying are
often classified into this category (Cook et al., 2010). Teenage years are characterised by
intense socialisation where individuals interact, communicate, and get involved in activities
together. If one does not go through this experience, they may develop negative social skills
as they grow old. The lack of social skills is a major setback as it affects the education and
occupation choices of the individual (Cook et al., 2010). If the individual struggles in their
education and in finding a job, they may end up poor leading to the development of different
health problems. Therefore, social isolation is s major theme in this project because it is
common for teenage victims of bullying who typically find themselves isolated during tough
times.