Towards an App to Aid South African Crime Prevention Police in Diagnosing Mobile Bully-Victims among School Children

The mobile bully-victim behavior is escalating worldwide. Bully-victims are people who bully others but are also victimized by peers. The dual nature of bully-victims and lack of adequate reporting platforms make it difficult to identify and prevent this kind of behavior. Victims suffer suicidal thoughts, low academic performance, and substance abuse. However, the capacity of employed social workers to assist children with counselling in schools is lacking, and therefore reported cyberbullying cases are not treated with the urgency they require. The Department of Basic Education has invited the South African Police Services to help prevent violence in schools. However, their role and effectiveness against cyberbullying remain unclear. In this study, the researchers developed a conceptual framework that captures the need to confirm and address cyberbullying reports from ecological system theory, social information processing theory, and theory of planned behavior. The researchers used the design science research framework to develop a mobile app that aids the police in diagnosing mobile bully-victims in schools. The app diagnosis includes identifying mobile bully-victims through peer-nominations, confirming the identified behavior, and severity assessment of the behavior to inform suitable interventions.