An Intervention Model for Cyberbullying Based on the General Theory of Crime and Routine Activity Theory

Cyberbullying is a major social issue that has the potential to impact a large audience. The growth and proliferation of ubiquitous social media platforms, the internet and digital technologies have increased the potential for cyberbullying in recent times. As such, cyberbullying too has become ubiquitous and does not seem to discriminate on age, sex, race or any other socio-technical factors. This research derives a conceptual model to intervene cyberbullying by following the cyberbully’s journey from conception of the bullying idea, identification of the target to the bullying action. The model is inspired by two competing theories: The General Theory of Crime and Routine Activity Theory. The model incorporates socio-technical crime opportunity factors, which can influence the offender’s motivation.