Preventing Digital Risks in Schools: Cyberbullying, Grooming, and Sexting Among Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/tv8r0774Keywords:
cyberbullying; online grooming; sexting; adolescents; prevention; digital citizenship; school.Abstract
The expansion of adolescents’ digital interaction has increased opportunities for learning and socialization while also increasing exposure to cyberbullying, online sexual grooming, coercive sexting, non-consensual intimate image sharing, and sextortion. This review synthesizes recent scientific evidence (2021–2026) on prevalence, associated factors, consequences, and school-based prevention strategies. Priority was given to peer-reviewed systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and intervention studies with verifiable DOI information. Evidence indicates that school-based cyberbullying programs significantly reduce victimization and perpetration, although effects are usually small to moderate; grooming prevention should focus on recognizing manipulation strategies and safe responses without shifting responsibility to minors; and sexting must be differentiated between consensual practices and coercion, non-consensual dissemination, image-based sexual abuse, or sextortion. More consistent programs combine digital literacy and citizenship, socio-emotional skills, consent, privacy, family participation, teacher training, and institutional protocols. Effective prevention therefore requires sustained, comprehensive, multisystem school approaches rather than isolated fear-based activities.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ritha Catalina Carrillo Vivar, José Octavio Chacho Ochoa, Marcia Elisabeth Galindo Narváez, Eliana Alexandra Gallegos Uguña, Freddy Santiago Contreras León (Autor/a)
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