Cyberbullying Among Students in an Educational Institution: Opportunities for Counteraction

The paper examines the problems of counteracting cyberbullying among students in an educational organization by means of legal regulation. Under the conditions of total informatization of society, the problem of cyberbullying as a threat to an individual acquires impressive magnitude. Despite numerous studies of this problem, there is currently no clear legal solution that would allow to successfully counteract its spread or significantly reduce its socially dangerous consequences. The purpose of the study is to propose mechanisms to improve the counteraction to cyberbullying among students in educational organizations. The authors investigate the main varieties and forms of cyberbullying and their possible negative consequences, including those in the form of school shootings. The key preventive measures to hinder the development of cyberbullying and avoid or minimize the probable negative consequences of it as applied to educational organizations are proposed. Russian and international experience in combating cyberbullying and the potential for its use to improve Russian legislation in this area are studied. The authors deduce that insufficient research on the phenomenon and scarce government regulation adversely affect the effectiveness of combating this negative social phenomenon. A conclusion is drawn about the role of disciplinary liability of students in educational organizations in counteracting cyberbullying and preventing its possible negative consequences.