Cyberbullying
Bullying are words, actions and/or physical aggresion towards another weaker person that causes pain, harm or discomfort. A new form of bullying is emerging and becoming a common problem. This form of bullying is called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is defined as "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices". It happens all over the world and can negatively effect anyone.
Statistics:
- 43% of teens aged 13 to 17 report that they have experienced some sort of cyberbulying in the past year (Harris Interactive Trends & Tudes, 2007.)
- One million children were harassed, threatend or subjected to other forms of cyberbullying on Facebook during the past year. (Consumer Reports, 2011)
- Only 7% of U.S. parents are worried about cyberbullying, even though 33% of teenagers have been victims of cyberbullying (Pew Internet and American Life Survey, 2011)
There are several aspects of cyberbullying that make it different from traditional bullying (Nocentini, 2010). These include intention, repitition, power imbalance and lastly, anonymity and publicity. Intention is usually hard to identify. This looks at whether the bullys actions were meant to cause harm to the other person or unintentional and they were unaware of the harm they caused. Repitition refers to the idea that online content can be viewed by many people and forwarded to others. It can also be available to view years later. Power imbalance refers to the higher social status of the bully on the web or other virtual means. The inability of the victim to get the bully to delete harmful content and more knowledge about the media are examples of power imbalance between the bully and victim. Anonymity is when the bully is able to keep their identity and other aspects of themself from the victim. This gives more power to the bully. Publicity is when an audience is involved. Much of virtual media involves an audience through means of emails, texts sent to large groups and videos on public forums.
This website is aimed to inform parents, adolescents, bullies and victims about the problem of cyberbullying. Topics such as psychological characteristics of a cyberbully, differences between the prevelance of cyberbullying in male and female and the effects on each gender, prevention and intervention to cyberbullying and psychological consequences cyberbullying has on bullies and victims are looked into at more detail. Teens who are or know someone who is suffering from cyberbullying can find helpful tips here.
Statistics:
- 43% of teens aged 13 to 17 report that they have experienced some sort of cyberbulying in the past year (Harris Interactive Trends & Tudes, 2007.)
- One million children were harassed, threatend or subjected to other forms of cyberbullying on Facebook during the past year. (Consumer Reports, 2011)
- Only 7% of U.S. parents are worried about cyberbullying, even though 33% of teenagers have been victims of cyberbullying (Pew Internet and American Life Survey, 2011)
There are several aspects of cyberbullying that make it different from traditional bullying (Nocentini, 2010). These include intention, repitition, power imbalance and lastly, anonymity and publicity. Intention is usually hard to identify. This looks at whether the bullys actions were meant to cause harm to the other person or unintentional and they were unaware of the harm they caused. Repitition refers to the idea that online content can be viewed by many people and forwarded to others. It can also be available to view years later. Power imbalance refers to the higher social status of the bully on the web or other virtual means. The inability of the victim to get the bully to delete harmful content and more knowledge about the media are examples of power imbalance between the bully and victim. Anonymity is when the bully is able to keep their identity and other aspects of themself from the victim. This gives more power to the bully. Publicity is when an audience is involved. Much of virtual media involves an audience through means of emails, texts sent to large groups and videos on public forums.
This website is aimed to inform parents, adolescents, bullies and victims about the problem of cyberbullying. Topics such as psychological characteristics of a cyberbully, differences between the prevelance of cyberbullying in male and female and the effects on each gender, prevention and intervention to cyberbullying and psychological consequences cyberbullying has on bullies and victims are looked into at more detail. Teens who are or know someone who is suffering from cyberbullying can find helpful tips here.
Another helpful site for anyone who is unsure of cyberbullying and would like to know more can be found by clicking this link for more information.