A study of university students across Indonesia reports concentrated harassment on short-form and image-based platforms, low reporting tied to cultural communication norms, and student-backed solutions focused on literacy, platform accountability, and peer support.
TikTok, Instagram and X were the platforms most often linked to harassment in a 400-student survey published in The Open Psychology Journal.
Students reported psychological harm and instances of technology-facilitated sexual violence, while reporting rates to platforms were low.
Students recommended better digital literacy, stronger platform accountability, and peer support networks as practical measures to reduce harm.
# What the study measured
# Where harassment happens Respondents most often linked harassment to TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). The survey found concentrated reports of cyberbullying, gender-based abuse, doxing, and hate speech on those platforms.
# How students reacted When faced with cyberbullying, students most commonly ignored the abuse (30.5%) or blocked the offender (20.1%). Only 8.5% reported incidents to the platform. For online sexual harassment, 44.4% blocked the perpetrator, 24.2% ignored it, and 23.2% reported it. Those responses indicate low formal reporting and a preference for private avoidance over escalation.
# Role of culture and media literacy The authors link low reporting to cultural communication patterns in Indonesia, described as high-context and more indirect and non-confrontational. Media literacy and digital security awareness among students were only moderate. Respondents generally understood online risks but had gaps in identifying, responding to, and reporting harm.
# What students want Students favoured three practical responses:
The researchers suggest adding culturally tailored digital literacy lessons to university courses and developing peer networks to improve reporting and early intervention.
# Study limits to keep in mind Participants were recruited through university messaging groups and social media, so the sample may overrepresent students who are more active online or more willing to report harassment. The study does not cover other groups such as older internet users. These limits affect how broadly the findings can be generalized.
# Bottom line The survey provides a snapshot of online harassment among Indonesian university students: three mainstream social platforms were most often named, students report real psychological harm and sexual harassment online, and they more often avoid or block offenders than report them. The authors call for targeted digital literacy, stronger platform accountability, and peer support models aligned with local communication norms to improve reporting and prevention.
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