Bullying in the Digital Age: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis of Cyberbullying Research Among Youth Robin M. Kowalski Clemson University Gary W. Giumetti Quinnipiac University Amber N. Schroeder Western Kentucky University Micah R. Lattanner Duke University Although the Internet has transformed the way our world operates, it has also served as a venue for cyberbullying, a serious form of misbehavior among youth. With many of today’s youth experiencing acts of cyberbullying, a growing body of literature has begun to document the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of this behavior, but the literature is highly fragmented and lacks theoretical focus. Therefore, our purpose in the present article is to provide a critical review of the existing cyberbullying research. The general aggression model is proposed as a useful theoretical framework from which to understand this phenomenon. Additionally, results from a meta-analytic review are presented to highlight the size of the relationships between cyberbullying and traditional bullying, as well as relationships between cyberbullying and other meaningful behavioral and psychological variables. Mixed effects meta-analysis results indicate that among the strongest associations with cyberbullying perpetration were normative beliefs about aggression and moral disengagement, and the strongest associations with cyberbullying victimization were stress and suicidal ideation. Several methodological and sample characteristics served as moderators of these relationships. Limitations of the meta-analysis include issues dealing with causality or directionality of these associations as well as generalizability for those meta-analytic estimates that are based on smaller sets of studies (k  5). Finally, the present results uncover important areas for future research. We provide a relevant agenda, including the need for understanding the incremental impact of cyberbullying (over and above traditional bullying) on key behavioral and psychological outcomes. Keywords: cyberbullying, bullying, perpetration, victimization, general aggression model As more people turn to the Internet for school, work, and social use, so too do more people turn to the Internet to take out their frustrations and aggression. One form of cyber aggression has been gaining the attention of both researchers and the public in recent years: cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is typically defined as aggres- sion that is intentionally and repeatedly carried out in an electronic context (e.g., e-mail, blogs, instant messages, text messages) against a person who cannot easily defend him- or herself (Ko- walski, Limber, & Agatston, 2012; Patchin & Hinduja, 2012). Many researchers have noted that cyberbullying is occurring at widespread rates among youth and adults, with some studies showing nearly 75% of school-age children (Juvonen & Gross, 2008; Katzer, Fetchenhauer, & Belschak, 2009) experiencing this form of aggression at least once in the last year. The experience of cyberbullying has been linked with a host of negative outcomes for both individuals and organizations (e.g., schools), including anx- iety, depression, substance abuse, difficulty sleeping, increased physical symptoms, decreased performance in school, absenteeism and truancy, dropping out of school, and murder or suicide (Beran & Li, 2005; Mitchell, Ybarra, & Finkelhor, 2007; Privitera & Campbell, 2009; Ybarra, Diener-West, & Leaf, 2007). Our purpose in the current article is threefold: (a) to provide a narrative review of the extant research on cyberbullying among youth, 1 including a look into the prevalence and antecedents of this behavior and associated outcomes; (b) to synthesize the relation- ships among cyberbullying, cybervictimization, and meaningful behavioral and psychological variables with meta-analytic tech- niques; and (c) to critique the existing research, noting areas where findings conflict and gaps remain, thereby allowing us to provide 1 Although research has been conducted on cyberbullying in the work- place, we focus on adolescents and young adults herein. First, the majority of the research under review has focused on this particular group of individuals. Second, because so little research has examined cyberbullying in the workplace, we do not know whether the predictors/consequences of cyberbullying are similar across the different samples. This article was published Online First February 10, 2014. Robin M. Kowalski, Department of Psychology, Clemson University; Gary W. Giumetti, Department of Psychology, Quinnipiac University; Amber N. Schroeder, Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky Uni- versity; Micah R. Lattanner, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Robin M. Kowalski, Department of Psychology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634. E-mail: rkowals@clemson.edu THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CORRECTED. SEE LAST PAGE This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Psychological Bulletin © 2014 American Psychological Association 2014, Vol. 140, No. 4, 1073–1137 0033-2909/14/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0035618 1073