Cyberbullying and Adolescent Identity Crises: A Real Threat to the Mental Health of the Younger Generation

Abstract

Cyberbullying has become one of the most common forms of digital violence experienced by today’s youth. This phenomenon is showing an increasingly alarming trend because it is directly linked to identity formation and mental health among young people. This study aims to examine the relationship between cyberbullying, adolescent identity crises, and their impact on mental health through bibliometric analysis. Scientific publication data was collected using the Publish or Perish application, then analyzed and visualized with VOSviewer to map trends, concept clusters, and the direction of research development. The analysis results indicate that cyberbullying does not merely manifest as online verbal aggression but also serves as a trigger for identity crises that can lower self-esteem, induce anxiety, and increase the risk of psychological disorders among adolescents. The mapping also confirms that the roles of family, school, and digital literacy are crucial elements in prevention and intervention. These findings underscore that the issue of cyberbullying must be understood as a psychosocial issue involving identity development processes, not merely as an act of online violence; therefore, an environment-based preventive approach is necessary to protect adolescents’ mental health