Tracing the Connections Between Sustainable Development, Bullying, and Cyberbullying: The Case of Thailand

Abstract

Bullying, including cyberbullying, is a serious impediment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Bullying has documented impacts on educational access and mental health, with victims at greater risk of depression and suicidality in particular. In this chapter, we argue that multiple SDGs, SDG targets and indicators are related to bullying, although the word itself is not explicitly used in any SDGs, SDG targets or indicators. Focusing on data from a middle-income country, Thailand, we explain how bullying impedes the achievement of some SDGs, and how the successful achievement of other SDGs could reduce bullying-related harm. By examining the case of Thailand, we facilitate a close-up account of the ways in which bullying and cyberbullying can be examined via the SDG lens. The key contribution this chapter makes is its linkage of the SDGs, bullying, and the possible contribution that developmental scientists can make to this area of global concern.