Cyberbullying

I know this is an odd topic for me to be blogging on, as I usually write about something related to myself. Thankfully, cyberbullying was not as popular when I was a pre-teen and teen so I did not have experience with such events. It is sad to me that so many young people today have to deal with such abuse from same-aged peers. I think every generation has its own form of bullying that gets increasingly more difficult to escape from. When it will stop, I am unsure. How it will progress from here, I know not. What I do know is that cyberbullying is a real problem with today's youth that appears to be only getting worse. Therefore, I have decided to inform people of it a bit.

What is cyberbullying?

""Cyberbullying" is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. It has to have a minor on both sides, or at least have been instigated by a minor against another minor. Once adults become involved, it is plain and simple cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Adult cyber-harassment or cyberstalking is NEVER called cyberbullying." (STOP cyberbullying, 2012)

There are many types of cyberbullying, which include:

• Gossip: Posting or sending gossip with intent to damage a person’s reputation and/or relationships.
• Exclusion: Deliberately excluding someone from an online group or forum.
• Impersonation: Posing as another person via breaking into his/her e-mail or internet based  account and sending embarrassing messages in hopes of damaging that individual's reputation and/or relationships.
• Harassment: Posting or sending offensive or insulting messages repeatedly.
• Cyberstalking: Posting or sending intimidating messages, which may include threats and are unwanted by the recipient.
• Flaming: Online fights where scornful and offensive messages are posted on websites, forums, or blogs.
• Outing and Trickery: Tricking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information and sharing it online.
• Cyberthreats: Comments left on internet cites which are threatening or implying violence and may display suicidal tendencies or suggestion.  (Covenant Eyes, 2012)

Something I find particularly disturbing about cyberbullying is that it is virtually inescapable for the victim and constantly available to the  aggressors. With technology constantly advancing, many young people have content access to the cyber world through text messages, phone calls, social media sites, and online forums. It is even increasingly popular for cyberbullies to create whole websites devoted to bashing their victims publicly. The sad thing is that individual who engage in cyberbullying activity can do this with a sense of anonymity. Messages, videos, and other online activity can be posted instantly to the internet world and spread to a huge audience in a matter of seconds. Sadly, in many cases, cyberbullies do not have to take ownership of these extremely hurtful actions that their victim cannot escape.

Potential effects on victim:

•  Emotional issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders
• Difficulty concentrating
• Trouble getting along with peers
• Physical symptoms such as headaches, reoccurring stomach pain, and difficulty sleeping.
• Sense of unsafety at school
• Can lead to suicide in extreme cases (WebMD, 2012)

Reported symptoms in cyberbullies:

• Same emotional  and physical symptoms of victim minus difficulty sleeping, as listed in above section
• Sense of unsafety at school
• Likely to have issues with hyperactivity, conduct problems, and engage in alcohol and tobacco use (WedMD, 2012)

Some cyberbullies have also been victims of cyberbullying or other types of abuse by peers. This is thought by some professionals to be a reason young people begin cyberbullying. Some ideas I have read that suggest deeper reasoning for cyberbullying include: anger and revenge motivation, attitude problems, behavioral issues, mental health issues, low self-esteem, lack of attention from parents, boredom, need for power and control, and to express social status. Much research is being done into this area but outcomes are not yet clear enough to confirm specific reasons for cyberbullying activity. I would venture to guess that it stems from a combination of the above, but data is still inconclusive at this point in time so do not quote me on that.

Signs a child or teen is a victim:

• Reluctantly to use computers, cellphones, or other electronics 
• Unexpectedly quits using electronics
• Avoiding discussions or hiding their activity on computers, cellphones, or other electronics
• Appearing nervous or anxious upon receiving messages on electronics
• Display atypical negative emotions (such as anger, sadness, or depression) after using electronics
• Discussing revenge
• Trouble sleeping
• Decline in school grades
• Sudden interest in self-harm or in suicide
• Unusual mood swings
• Become reclusive, anti-social and/or is losing friends
• Unusually withdrawn or depressed
• Disinterest in family or school activities
• Displaying potential effects, as listed above (Shoemaker-Galloway, 2007)

Here is a link to the STOP Cyberbullying webpage on how you can help a child or teen report cyberbullying related abuse on sites such as facebook, youtube, and twitter.

Sadly, there is no one way to help a child or teen whom is being targeting with cyberbullying. Oftentimes some of this activity is happening while the child is in a school setting but schools have a limited ability to get involved. In some cases a school would be exceeding its authority or violating a child's right to free speech if they try to build a case that includes cyberbullyingcyberbully be held responsible for his/her actions whilst on school property. This, in many cases, would mean that schools need to step in up in their rules, regulations, and consequences for cyberbullying as well as phone and internet usage during school hours and on school property.

Parents do seems to have a bit more part in helping a child or teen that is dealing with cyberbullying issues. Some advice I would give to help a parent aid a child or teen they feel is being cyberbullied would include the following:

• Do not overreact - oftentimes this is what any child or teen is scared of when telling their parent sensitive information. Yelling, shouting, placing blame, jumping to taking action before collecting additional information - all of these things I would not advise.
• Do not under react -I think one of the worst things you could do is ignore the problem completely. Telling a child to deal with it on their own  or ignore the hurtful comments is not always the best solution. It was most likely difficult for the child or teen to bring the subject up and under reacting shows your disinterest in what is happening to the child and may instill additional embarrassment or shame about the topic.
• Remember that the child or teen being cyberbullied might also be engaging in such activities. Every story has two sides and I would advise investigating into the issue, not just assuming your child is 100% innocent in the matter. Remember that there is such a thing as inadvertent cyberbullying.
• If personal information has been posted online or violent threats have been made towards a child then take that information to the police. Conversations or postings on sites can and should be printed and taken into law enforcement officials. Additional proof may be needed, such as text messages, videos, or conversations that have taken place on electronic devices. It is wise to take in any handheld device that holds hard evidence of the cyberbullying activity. 

Some current stats about cyberbullying straight from Covenant Eyes:

•  32% of online teens say they have been targets of a range of annoying or potentially menacing online activities. 15% of teens overall say someone has forwarded or posted a private message they’ve written, 13% say someone has spread a rumor about them online, 13% say someone has sent them a threatening or aggressive message, and 6% say someone has posted embarrassing pictures of them online.
•  88% of social media-using teens say they have seen someone be mean or cruel to another person on a social network site. 12% of these say they witness this kind of behavior “frequently.”
•  When teens see others being mean or cruel on social networks, frequently 55%  see other people just ignoring what is going on, 27% see others defending the victim, 20% see others telling the offender to stop, and 19% see others join in on the harassment.
• 36% of teens who have witnessed others being cruel on social networks have looked to someone for advice about what to do.
• 1 in 6 parents know their child has been bullied over social media. In over half of these cases, their child was a repeat victim. Over half of parents whose children have social media accounts are concerned about cyberbullying and more than three-quarters of parents have discussed the issue of online bullying with their children.
•  “Hyper-networking” teens (those who spend more than three hours per school day on online social networks) are 110% more likely to be a victim of cyberbullying, compared to those who don’t spend as much time on social networks.

For more information on this topic, here are some sites I have found that may be of service to you:

• www.ncpc.org provides information about stopping cyberbullying before it starts.
• Stop Cyberbullying Before It Starts (PDF) provides useful information for parents.
• Cyberbullying.us provides cyberbullying research, stories, cases, downloads, fact sheets, tips and strategies, news headlines, a blog, and a number of other helpful resources on their comprehensive public service website.
• www.stopcyberbullying.org has a fun quiz to rate your online behavior, information about why some people cyberbully, and how to stop yourself from cyberbullying.
• www.wiredsafety.com provides information about what to do if you are cyberbullied.
• www.stopbullyingnow.com has information about what you can do to stop bullying.