What is Cyber Bullying?

Submitted by Jennifer Blackstone on Mon, 01/09/2012 - 15:47

Cyber bullying is bullying through email, instant messaging, chat room exchanges, social media posts, web site posts, or digital messages or images sent to a cellular phone or personal device. Cyber bullying, like traditional bullying, involves an imbalance of power, aggression, and a negative action that is often repeated.

Did you know?

  • Nearly 42% of children have been bullied online; 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once
  • About 75% have visited a website bashing another student
  • About 21% of kids have received mean or threatening emails.
  • The primary cyber bullying location where victimization occurs is in chat rooms – 56%
  • Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying
  • About 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online; 4 in 10 say it happened more than once
  • Cyber bullying has increased in recent years. In a national survey of 10-17 year olds, twice as many children indicated they has been victims and perpetrators

Forms of Cyber Bullying:

  1. Harassment: Repeatedly sending offensive, rude, and insulting messages
  2. Denigration: Dissing someone online by spreading rumors or posting false information
  3. Flaming: Angry, rude arguments
  4. Impersonation: Breaking into an email or social networking account and using that person's online identity to send or post vicious or embarrassing material to/about others.
  5. Outing and Trickery: Sharing someone's secrets or embarrassing information, or tricking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information and forwarding it to others
  6. Cyber Stalking: Creating fear by sending offensive messages and engaging in threatening activity

Warning Signs:

Student…

  • appears sad, moody, or anxious
  • avoids school
  • withdraws from or shows a lack of interest in social activities
  • experiences a drop in grades or decline in academic performance
  • appears upset after using the computer or being online
  • appears upset after viewing a text message on a cell phone

Tips for Overcoming:

  • Don’t respond or retaliate
  • Save the evidence
  • Talk to a trusted adult
  • Block or delete the bully
  • Be civil
  • Don’t be a bully
  • Be a friend, not a bystander

The psychological and emotional outcomes of cyber bullying are similar to real-life bullying outcomes, except for the reality that with cyber bullying there is often no escape. School may end at a certain time, while the Internet is available all the time.

For more information on this topic, please check out our sources for this blog:

http://loweus.org/public/cyber_bullying.page

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying

http:/www.safeteens.com/cyberbullying-tips-from-connectsafely-org