This Spring I brought you the piece, Bulling is Abuse, regarding the case of 15 year-old Phoebe Prince who committed suicide in Boston following her bulling. Now with technology in every child’s hands bullying is even easier, quicker and can be more widespread with only a click of a button or mouse. Children text images and rumors, sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter can all serve as platforms to abuse and deface one and other.
This online and technical bullying is called, cyberbullying, and includes the use of the internet, interactive/digital technologies (digital videos and photos), or the use of cell phones or PDAs harass. Cyber bullying can vary from starting cruel or embarrassing rumors, placing threats on a victim (mental, physical, or sexual), harassment (mental, physical, or sexual), or stalking. Cyber bullying occurs in all age groups, however, teens are the most common perpetrators and victims. There are two kinds of cyberbullying, direct attacks (messages sent to directly to the victim) and cyberbullying by proxy (when the bully using others to help bully the victim, either with or without the accomplice’s knowledge).
Cyber Bullying Statistics
- 42% of kids have been bullied while online. 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.
- 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it happen more than once.
- 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages.
- 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than once.
- 53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more than once.
- 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.
Based on 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 students grades 4-8
Cyber Bullying Tips
- Tell a trusted adult about the bullying, and keep telling until the adult takes action.
- Don’t open or read messages by cyber bullies.
- Tell your school if it is school related. Schools have a bullying solution in place.
- Don’t erase the messages—they may be needed to take action.
- Protect yourself—never agree to meet with the person or with anyone you meet online.
- If bullied through chat or instant messaging, the “bully” can often be blocked.
- If you are threatened with harm, inform the local police.
According to a new survey conducted by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Health Development which surveyed the results on bullying behaviors and signs of depression in 7,313 students in grades six through 10. Head researcher Jing Wang, stated that increased depression in victims alone compared to others involved in cyber bullying was unexpected.
“In traditional bullying, somebody writes an insult on the bathroom wall and it’s confined to the environment of the school. But with cyber bullying, in the majority of victimization, there is a wider resonance of abuse, to all corners of the world,” said Jorge Srabstein, medical director of the Clinic for Health Problems Related to Bullying at Children’s National Medical Center. (ANI)
If you are a child or teen facing bulling please do not be afraid and report the abuse to a trusted adult right away or contact one of the following Crisis Hotlines for help.
Please also see the following resource lists: Books for Children and Parents of Victims of Abuseand Links for Abused Children and Parents
