Cyberbullying

Introduction

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology
includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as
communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.
Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or
posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.
Cyberbulliying is different because Kids who are being cyberbullied are often bullied in person
as well. Additionally, kids who are cyberbullied have a harder time getting away from the
behavior.

Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he
or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night.

Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly
to a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source.

Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult

after they have been posted or sent.

Cyberbullying happens when kids bully each other through electronic technology. Find out why
cyberbullying is different from traditional bullying, what you can do to prevent it, and how you
can report it when it happens. Bullying can happen anywhere, but depending on the environment,
some groups may be at an increased risk. Learn what factors increase the risk of children being

bullied or children more likely to bully others and what warning signs can indicate that bullying
may be happening. You can also find out how bullying can negatively impact kids.

Generally, children who are bullied have one or more of the following risk factors:

Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight,
wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford
what kids consider cool

Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves

Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem

Are less popular than others and have few friends

Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others
for attention

However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesnt mean that they will be bullied.

There are two types of kids who are more likely to bully others:

Some are well-connected to their peers, have social power, are overly concerned about
their popularity, and like to dominate or be in charge of others.

Others are more isolated from their peers and may be depressed or anxious, have low self
esteem, be less involved in school, be easily pressured by peers, or not identify with the
emotions or feelings of others.

Children who have these factors are also more likely to bully others;
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Are aggressive or easily frustrated

Have less parental involvement or having issues at home

Think badly of others

Have difficulty following rules

View violence in a positive way

Have friends who bully others

Remember, those who bully others do not need to be stronger or bigger than those they bully.
The power imbalance can come from a number of sourcespopularity, strength, cognitive
ability and children who bully may have more than one of these characteristics.

Bullying can affect everyone those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness
bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health,
substance use, and suicide. It is important to talk to kids to determine whether bullying or
something else is a concern. Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, school, and
mental health issues. Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience:

Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep
and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may
persist into adulthood.

Health complaints

Decreased academic achievementGPA and standardized test scoresand school

participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

A very small number of bullied children might retaliate through extremely violent measures. In
12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied.

When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it
is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. There are simple
steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe.

Do:

Intervene immediately. It is ok to get another adult to help.

Separate the kids involved.

Make sure everyone is safe.

Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.

Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including bystanders.

Model respectful behavior when you intervene.

Avoid these common mistakes:

Dont ignore it. Dont think kids can work it out without adult help.

Dont immediately try to sort out the facts.

Dont force other kids to say publicly what they saw.

Dont question the children involved in front of other kids.

Dont talk to the kids involved together, only separately.

Dont make the kids involved apologize or patch up relations on the spot.

Get police help and medical attention immediately if:

A weapon is involved.

There are threats of serious physical injury.

There are threats of hate-motivated violence, such as racism or homophobia.

There is serious bodily harm.

There is sexual abuse.

Anyone is accused of an illegal act, such as robbery or extortionusing force to get

money, property, or services.

Law Enforcement: Cyberbullying, Cyberstalking and

Electronic Harassment
A majority of states have laws that explicitly include electronic forms of communication within
stalking or harassment laws. Most law enforcement agencies have cyber-crime units and often
Internet stalking is treated with more seriousness than reports of physical stalking. Help and
resources can be searched by State or area.

Schools
The safety of schools is increasingly becoming a focus of state legislative action. There was an
increase in cyberbullying enacted legislation between 2006-2010. Initiatives and curriclulum
requirements also exist in the UK (the Ofsted eSafety guidance) and Australia (Overarching
Learning Outcome 13). In 2012, a group of teens in New Haven, Connecticut developed an app
to help fight bullying. Called "Back Off Bully" (BOB), the web app is an anonymous resource
for computer, smart phone or iPad. When someone witnesses or is the victim of bullying, they
can immediately report the incident. The app asks questions about time, location and how the
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bullying is happening. As well as providing positive action and empowerment over an incident,
the reported information helps by going to a data base where administrators study it. Common
threads are spotted so others can intervene and break the bully's pattern.

Protection for Victims of Any Age

There are laws that only address online harassment of children or focus on child predators as
well as laws that protect adult cyberstalking victims, or victims of any age. Currently, there are
45 cyberstalking (and related) laws on the books. While some sites specialize in laws that protect
victims age 18 and under, Working to Halt Online Abuse is a help resource containing a list of
current and pending cyberstalking-related United States federal and state laws. It also lists those
states that do not have laws yet and related laws from other countries. The Global Cyber Law
Database (GCLD) aims to become the most comprehensive and authoritative source of cyber
laws for all countries.

Children and Adolescents

Kids report being mean to each other online beginning as young as 2nd grade. According to
research, boys initiate mean online activity earlier than girls do. However, by middle school,
girls are more likely to engage in cyberbullying than boys. Whether the bully is male or female,
his or her purpose is to intentionally embarrass others, harass, intimidate, or make threats online
to one another. This bullying occurs via email, text messaging, posts to blogs, and web sites.

The National Crime Prevention Association lists tactics often used by teen cyberbullies.

Pretend they are other people online to trick others

Spread lies and rumors about victims

Trick people into revealing personal information

Send or forward mean text messages

Post pictures of victims without their consent

Studies in the psychosocial effects of cyberspace have begun to monitor the impacts
cyberbullying may have on the victims, and the consequences it may lead to. Consequences of
cyberbullying are multi-faceted, and affect online and offline behavior. Research on adolescents
reported that changes in the victims' behavior as a result of cyberbullying could be positive.
Victims "created a cognitive pattern of bullies, which consequently helped them to recognize
aggressive people. However, the Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace abstract
reports critical impacts in almost all of the respondents, taking the form of lower self-esteem,
loneliness, disillusionment, and distrust of people. The more extreme impacts were self-harm.
Children have killed each other and committed suicide after having been involved in a
cyberbullying incident.

Adults
Stalking online has criminal consequences just as physical stalking. A target's understanding of
why cyberstalking is happening is helpful to remedy and take protective action to restore
remedy. Cyberstalking is an extension of physical stalking. Among factors that motivate stalkers
are: envy, pathological obsession (professional or sexual), unemployment or failure with own job
or life; intention to intimidate and cause others to feel inferior; the stalker is delusional and
believes he/she "knows" the target; the stalker wants to instill fear in a person to justify his/her
status; belief they can get away with it (anonymity). UK National Workplace Bullying Advice
Line theorizes that bullies harass victims in order to make up for inadequacies in their own lives.

The US federal cyberstalking law is designed to prosecute people for using electronic means to
repeatedly harass or threaten someone online. There are resources dedicated to assisting adult
victims deal with cyberbullies legally and effectively. One of the steps recommended is to record
everything and contact police.

Bibliography
file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/Cyberbullying.htm
http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/cyberbullying.html
http://teenadvice.about.com/od/schoolviolence/a/cyberbullying1.htm