Cyberbullying Awareness and Prevention Among University Students: A Serious Digital Game Intervention

Cyberbullying remains a pervasive concern affecting students globally, prompting the need for targeted interventions. This study aims to develop and assess the effectiveness of CyberStory intervention in improving university students' awareness of cyberbullying. This study outlines a three-phase approach to address cyberbullying awareness. In Phase 1, survey data are collected to assess students' experiences and awareness of cyberbullying. Phase 2 utilizes this data to design a tailored digital serious game intervention to enhance cyberbullying awareness. The baseline data were gathered from students representing diverse sociodemographic backgrounds, including information on sociodemographic characteristics, patterns of social media usage, and experiences related to cyberbullying. The findings reveal a predominance of female participants (65.0%) and unexpected vulnerability among individuals with undergraduate degrees (70.2%). Females demonstrate a considerably higher likelihood of experiencing cyberbullying compared to males. Education level emerges as a significant predictor, with individuals with undergraduate degrees exhibiting heightened susceptibility to cyberbullying compared to those with secondary school education. Greater social media usage, especially on platforms like Facebook and TikTok, is correlated with increased cyberbullying risk, for both victimization and perpetration. Future research directions include executing Phase 3, involving a follow-up survey to assess the intervention's effectiveness and changes in students' awareness levels.