Fostering Digital Resilience Among Youth Who Experienced Cyberbullying: Design Thinking Approach

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Adolescent Psychology
• Cyberbullying Prevention

Background:

• Cyberbullying affects one-third of Thai secondary students, leading to emotional distress and mental health issues.
• Digital resilience, critical thinking, empathy, and help-seeking skills are crucial for youth online safety.
• Limited research exists on co-designing digital resilience interventions with youth for cyberbullying.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a youth-centered, theory-informed intervention for digital resilience against cyberbullying using design thinking.
• To empower youth with lived cyberbullying experiences as active co-creators of prevention strategies.
• To generate a contextually grounded model for cyberbullying intervention in the Global South.

Main Methods:

• A 5-phase design thinking framework (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) was applied.
• Participatory design workshops involved 12 youth (15-17 years) with cyberbullying experience, psychologists, and educators.
• Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis; a mobile-based prototype was iteratively refined.

Main Results:

• Key challenges identified: emotional distress, lack of support, and rapid spread of harmful content.
• Youth co-designed a virtual community platform with peer support, expert consultation, workshops, and AI assistance.
• The co-design process enhanced perceived usability, personalization, and theoretical coherence, supporting youth agency.

Conclusions:

• A theory-driven, participatory design thinking approach effectively develops digital cyberbullying interventions.
• Integrating behavioral theory with youth co-creation yields effective, youth-centered solutions.
• Empowerment-oriented design processes engage youth as active contributors to cyberbullying prevention.