Cyberbullying

1. Cyberbullying COM 160

2. Definition • “When the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.” - The National Crime Prevention Council • “A situation when a child, tween or teen is repeatedly 'tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted' by another child or teenager using text messaging, email, instant messaging or any other type of digital technology.”-StopCyberbullying.org • “Cyber-bullying can be as simple as continuing to send e-mail to someone who has said they want no further contact with the sender, but it may also include threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels (i.e., hate speech), ganging up on victims by making them the subject of ridicule in forums, and posting false statements as fact aimed at humiliation.”-Wikipedia

3. Who does it? • Kids report cyberbullying as young as 2nd grade • Boys are more likely to initiate mean contact online than girls • By middle school, girls are more likely to participate in cyberbullying • Occurs via email, websites, text messages and blogs

4. Cyberstalking • An adult form of cyberbullying, sometimes directed on the basis of sex or a sexual relationship • Use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization • May include false accusations, monitoring, making threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sex, or gathering information in order to harass.

5. Statistical Data • Cyber-bullying is a problem that affects almost half of all American teens. -The National Crime Prevention Council • 2007: Stanford University reports over 60% of students had been cyberbullied • 2004: iSafe.org surveyed 1,500 students between grades 4-8 reported: • 42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once. • 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five had had it happen more than once. • 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages. • 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once. • 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.

6. Statistical Data A 2006 survey by Harris Interactive reported: • 43% of U.S. teens having experienced some form of cyber-bullying in the past year. • 23% of middle-schoolers surveyed had been bullied by e-mail • 35% in chat rooms • 41% by text messages on their cell phones • 41% did not know the identity of the perpetrators

7. Statistical Data 2005 survey of 10-17 year-olds by University of New Hampshire reports: • 1/3 of those bullied reported feeling distressed by the incident, with distress being more likely for younger respondents • Compared to youth not harassed online, victims are more likely to have social problems. • Youth who harass others are more likely to have problems with rule breaking and aggression. • Significant overlap is seen — youth who are harassed are significantly more likely to also harass others.

8. Statistical Data 2008: researchers SameerHinduja (Florida Atlantic University) and Justin Patchin (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) published a Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying, summarizing the current state of cyber-bullying research • Fewer than 15% of victims told an adult about the bullying incident • found that youth who report being victims of cyber-bullying also experience stress or strain that is related to offline problem behaviors such as running away from home, cheating on a school test, skipping school, or using alcohol or marijuana

9. Traditional bullying vs. Cyberbullying • Traditional bullying occurs face-to-face • Cyberbullying can be more widespread and vicious due to the passive nature of the bullying actions, and the ability to bully anonymously • Electronic forums often lack supervision; personal messages are viewable only by the sender and the recipient • It’s easy for teens to hide their online actions from less tech-savvy parents, (whether as a victim or offender)

10. Traditional bullying vs. Cyberbullying • People usually carry their cell phones at all times– making that person a perpetual target for victimization. • Cyber-bullying thus penetrates the walls of a home (traditionally a place where victims could seek refuge from other forms of bullying) • The internet is written in ink: publishing of defamatory material about a person on the internet is extremely difficult to prevent and once it is posted, millions of people can potentially download it before it is removed. • Bullies may post victims' photos, or victims' edited photos like defaming captions or pasting victims' faces on nude bodies.

11. Legislation • States including New York, Missouri, Rhode Island and Maryland have legislation geared at penalizing cyber-bullying • Federal Cyber Stalking Law: no one has been successfully prosecuted under it • August 2008: California passed Assembly Bill 86 2008, giving school administrators the authority to discipline students for bullying others offline or online. This law took effect, January 1, 2009

12. Legislation • November 2010: U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, D-West New York, is co-sponsoring legislation that would require colleges and universities that receive federal student aid to implement a policy prohibiting harassment.The bill is named in memory of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide in September after his roommate and another student violated his privacy and harassed him.

13. Effects of Bullying on Victims • lower self-esteem • Suicidal ideation • Retaliatory cyber-bullying • Feelings of being scared, frustrated, angry • Depression • Avoidance of friends and activities • Suicide

14. Relevant Video Content • Bullied to Death • Death by Bullies: They committed suicide • Teen's Death A "Bully-Cide"? • Notebook: Cyber Bullying (CBS News) • Wired Safety's Cyberbullying Video part 1 and 2 • Cyberbullying