Cyberbully

Recently a student shared “that all bullying hurts, whether in person or through technology, the end result is that bullying in any form is emotionally damaging.”

Just as the use of technology itself has evolved, so has the ability to bully. Bullying, once restricted to the school or neighborhood, has now moved into the online world. Bullying through electronic means is referred to as “cyberbullying.”

Today, a kid or teen’s desire to connect with friends has not changed, but the options for doing so have grown tremendously. Children are not only asking for their own tablets, gaming devices, and mobile phones at a younger age, they also want access to popular social media sites, and the ability to engage in online games and share information.

Just as young people used to spend unmonitored time playing with friends in the neighborhood, outside the periphery of adults, they are now engaging with each other in the cyberworld, “talking” with each other, “talking” to each other, and “talking” about each other, often without adult or parental monitoring. While technology allows young people to connect in meaningful ways, such as the opportunity to share ideas, photos, videos, and more, the unsupervised nature of the cyberworld demands the need for guidance, guidelines, and social responsibility.

The Technology, Accessed Through Computers Or Cell Phones, Used To Cyberbully Includes:

• personal websites
• blogs
• e-mail
• texting
• social networking sites
• chat rooms
• message boards
• instant messaging
• photographs
• video games 

Contrasting Offline Bullying With Online Bullying:

• targets might not know who the bully is or why they are being targeted, as cyberbullying can happen anonymously
• cyberbullying can have a large audience - the actions of those who cyberbully can go viral
• it is often easier to be cruel using technology because of greater physical distance and the person bullying doesn’t see the immediate response by the target - they might not recognize the serious harm from their actions because they lack seeing the target’s response
• it can be harder for parents and adults to manage cyberbullying 

 
How Cyberbullying Impact Students: 

• Those who are cyberbullied are also likely to be bullied offline
• Cyberbullying can result in serious emotional problems for targets, including anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, stress, and suicide ideation
• Both cyberbullies and targets of cyberbullying report less school satisfaction and achievement
• Motivations behind cyberbullying include a lack of confidence or desire to feel better about themselves, a desire for control, finding it entertaining, and retaliation
• Because cyberbullying can occur anonymously, cyberbullies can act more aggressively as they feel there will be no consequences

Trends To Address Cyberbullying:

• There are several challenges for addressing cyberbullying. Parents suggest they lack the technical skills to keep up with their children's’ online behaviors. Schools are educating about cyberbullying with policies, training, and assemblies, yet don’t always know when and how to intervene in cyberbullying when it happens off campus. Law enforcement often can’t get involved unless there is clear evidence of a crime of threat to someone’s safety
• Effective approaches to address cyberbullying requires effort from children, parents, schools, law enforcement, social media companies, and the community
• Only 33% of teens that were targets of cyberbullying told their parents or guardians about it, because children are worried they will face reduced Internet and cellphone privileges or other punishments
• Improving social networking safety skills can help prevent cyberbullying, such as understanding how cyberbullying can cause harm, making sure personal information is not available on social media and keeping social media accounts private
• If someone is being cyberbullied, he/she should keep all evidence of cyberbullying, keep a log with the dates and times of the instances, and report the instances
• Bystanders to cyberbullying might not want to get involved because of the fear that the bullying will come onto them. However, by not doing anything, bystanders are passively encouraging the behavior. Bystanders can make a big difference by actively standing up against cyberbullies. Bystanders should intervene if they feel comfortable, tell a trusted adult after, and never encourage or contribute to the cyberbullying.

We all play an important role in the society. As a responsible social media user, take a stand against cyberbullies. Stop cyberbully.

🐯 Rawr 🐯