Perceptions and responses towards cyberbullying: A systematic review of teachers in the education system

The rise and availability of digital technologies for young people have presented additional challenges for teachers in the school environment. One such challenge is cyberbullying, an escalating concern, associated with wide-reaching negative consequences for those involved and the surrounding community. The present systematic review explored teachers' perceptions and responses towards cyberbullying in the education system. Once the search strategy was applied across the six databases, 20 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the current review. The studies were reviewed and examined for common themes. Five themes were identified: (a) Cyberbullying characteristics and student involvement, (b) Cyberbullying training and guidance for teachers, (c) School commitment and strategies to manage cyberbullying, (d) The impact and extent of cyberbullying prevalence and consequences, and (e) Teachers' confidence and concern towards cyberbullying. The themes are discussed in a narrative synthesis with reference to implications for teachers and for the continued development and review of anti-cyberbullying initiatives. •The paper offers a systematic review of teachers' perceptions of, and responses to, cyberbullying in the school environment.•Provides an important insight which highlights discrepancies on teachers' knowledge and understanding of cyberbullying•Teachers recognised cyberbullying was a problem and lacked confidence to identify and manage the issue.•Large inconsistencies existed on reported management strategies to address cyberbullying.•Future efforts should meet with teachers' desire for additional training and guidelines on cyberbullying.