Also referred to as teacher-targeted bullying, there’s been a stark and alarming rise in the online cyberbullying of teachers in recent years.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint when teacher-targeted bullying began, the targeting of teachers is not necessarily a new concept. However, where once teachers were gossiped about behind bike sheds and tall tales told and shared on the school bus, the involvement of the internet has put a different slant on things.

Since print news began, controversary and scandal have always hit the headlines. It’s human nature to engage with stories that are dramatic or different. It’s no different when it comes to social media – the bigger the story, the more engagement. In other words, if a young person posts something scandalous, emotive, or shocking about a teacher, that post is likely to get more attention.

This can work as a feedback loop, with the original poster or other people competing to match or beat the popularity of the ‘first’ post.

However, the reasons behind teacher-targeted bullying cannot be wrapped up by simply saying, ‘it’s just for attention’. In most cases, the reasoning is likely to be more complex. Some contributing factors include: