Prevention of cyberbullying in educational settings: from digital hygiene to a culture of safe interaction

Abstract

Abstract. Cyberbullying is a persistent, technology-mediated form of peer aggression that requires systemic, multi-level prevention rather than incident-driven responses. This article advances a three-component model that proceeds from individual skills to institutional culture: (1) digital hygiene micro-skills for learners (account security, privacy management, authenticity checks, refusal to share degrading content, documentation and safe reporting); (2) curriculum-embedded digital citizenship that integrates online-safety knowledge with socio-emotional learning, perspective-taking, and bystander activation across ICT/civics lessons; and (3) a whole-school policy framework that ensures confidential reporting channels, systematic documentation, proportionate-preferably restorativeresponses, and ongoing staff development. Synthesising recent empirical evidence (2024 – 2025) and international guidance, we show that such multi-layered designs reduce both perpetration and victimisation, increase cyber self-efficacy, and normalise early disclosure. We also outline implementation considerations for Ukrainian and wider Central-European contexts, including harmonisation of school and family digital rules, simple monitoring instruments (anonymous surveys, incident logs, checklists), and adaptations for hybrid learning and shared/low-security devices. Framing cyberbullying as a relational phenomenon distributed across skills, classroom processes, and institutional climate, the model links “digital hygiene” to a durable culture of safe interaction.