Everyone has had an embarrassing moment or two in his life. Tripping while going down stairs or accidentally spilling a glass of wine on a friend’s new suit or dress. The event happens. There is a period of embarrassment. Then life goes on. A week or month later the incident is all but forgotten.
Now imagine that another person or group of individuals engineered that accident and captured the whole thing on video. Then that video is posted to the Internet in a blog, or on YouTube or Facebook. Then people at school start commenting about it online. They mention other embarrassing moments in the person’s life – real or imagined. Pretty soon comments begin coming in from different schools – all derogatory. This is one way cyberbullying can begin.
What is Cyberbullying?
According to the article "What is Cyberbullying, Exactly?" published on the Stop Cyberbullying website, 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."
One type of cyberbullying is referred to as “Mean Girls.” (See The Four Types of Cyberbully.)This may be a clique of friends (not necessarily all girls) who decide it would be fun to publicly humiliate another person. There are several ways in which this humiliation occurs.
- An embarrassing photo or video gets posted to a blog, Facebook page, or YouTube.
- One member posts a negative IM (Instant Message) to all their friends who, in turn, post to all of theirs friends and so on.
- A comment is made in a chat room or forum and then continues to be fed by other members of the clique.
These victims are already struggling with new emotions, a body that’s going through physical changes, and hormones that change their emotional state from one moment to the next. The kind of mental anguish cyberbullying can cause can lead to severe depression and ultimately suicide.
Cyberbullying Contributes to Suicide
When suicide results from bullying it has been given the unofficial name of cyberbullycide.
The most recent example of a suicide resulting from a case of combined physical bullying and cyberbullying is that of Phoebe Prince on January 14, 2010, in Massachusetts. She was assaulted both physically and online. This lead to severe depression and eventually suicide.
This cyberbully/suicide relationship has been around for years. Only recently has it piqued the interest of the news reporting and research community and gotten the attention it deserves.
Since 2007, Dr. Justin W. Patchin and Dr. Sameer Hinduja have collected information from over 6,000 students between the ages of 11 and 18. Here are a few of their findings. For a more complete explanation of their findings, visit Cyberbullying Research Center.
- Roughly 33% have been victimized by cyberbullying.
- About 56% of cyberbullying takes place in chat rooms.
- Of those bullied, 22% feel sad (sadness can be a precursor to suicide).
- The method of cyberbullying differs by gender. Girls tend to spread rumors. Boys will say bad things online or post hurtful or embarrassing photos or videos.
Why Do Young People Participate in Online Bullying?
Patchin and Hinduja have created a list of the reasons given for participating in cyberbullying. Three reasons make up the bulk (over 50%) of the reasons given.
- Revenge accounts for 22%.
- Nearly 19% said the victim deserved it.
- Over 10.5% said they did it for fun.
While all three are disturbing, perhaps the most shocking is the idea that it might be considered “fun” to cause a peer emotional anguish on this public forum.
What Victims and Parents Should Do When Cyberbullying Occurs
The best way to deal with cyberbullying is as quickly as possible after it is discovered. Make a Difference for Kids suggests a list of actions to be taken.
- Don’t erase any electronic evidence (email, blog or Facebook posts, chat room dialogs, etc.)
- File a complaint with the Internet Service Provider, social network site, or cell phone company.
- Contact the school if the cyberbullying may be school related.
- If a threat is made, contact law enforcement.
So far, teen suicide as a result of cyberbullying has been associated with four cases in the United States and many more abroad. To see this trend does not increase, a concerted effort must be made by parents, educators, and law enforcement to provide training and prevention to the public.
Additional Articles About Cyber Safety and Security
Computer Security Day in the Workplace
Social Networking Safety Guidelines
Teaching Cyber Safety in School
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