Cyberbullying, doxing, and hate speech are part of the online world that many young people now grow up in. A new survey from Indonesia maps where that harassment happens, how it affects students, and what they think would help.
The study, published in The Open Psychology Journal, was led by Karim Suryadi with colleagues at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia in Bandung. The team surveyed 400 university students from different provinces of the country online.
Indonesia has gone through rapid digital change, and the authors note that more than 80% of the population regularly use online platforms. Alongside the benefits, this has brought cyberbullying, gender-based abuse, doxing, and hate speech.
The questionnaire asked students about the kinds of harassment they had faced, its psychological impact, their media habits, and the steps they believed could reduce the problem. The aim was to hear directly from digital natives about their experiences.
TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, now known as X, were the platforms most often linked to harassment. Respondents reported notable psychological harm, and the survey also picked up experiences of technology-facilitated sexual violence.
Students were heavily engaged in online entertainment and social interaction. Yet their levels of media literacy and awareness of digital security were only moderate, leaving many less prepared than they might be.
The researchers also point to the role of culture. The authors describe Indonesia as a high-context country, where communication tends to be indirect and non-confrontational, and this was linked to underreporting and to protecting oneself only after harm had occurred.
The survey figures show how rarely students reported abuse. Faced with cyberbullying, 30.5% chose to ignore it, 20.1% blocked the offender, and only 8.5% reported it to the platform. In response to online sexual harassment, 44.4% blocked the perpetrator, 24.2% ignored it, and 23.2% reported it.
When asked what would help, students favoured better digital literacy, greater accountability from platforms, and systems of peer support. The authors say such peer networks could make up for gaps in online safety education.
The study has limits. Participants were recruited through university messaging groups and social media, so the authors say the sample may overrepresent students who are more active online or more willing to report harassment. It also does not cover other groups, such as older internet users.
Even so, the authors argue there is an immediate need for stronger digital security measures. They call for educational and policy programmes designed around the needs of young people to create safer online spaces.
Respondents generally understood online risks, the authors write, but gaps remained in their knowledge and confidence when it came to identifying, responding to, and reporting harm.
The authors also suggest adding culturally tailored digital literacy lessons to university courses and developing peer support systems to improve reporting and early response.
