Cyberbullying over the last decade has become a extremely problematic issue for school aged children. The negative effects it has on a individuals schooling, relationships and their emotional and psychological health can be long term; and in some cases, the impact continues into early adulthood. There are also implications for the bullies themselves, (Price, M. & Dalgleish, J. 2010) found that they “exhibit higher levels of antisocial, violent and/or criminal behaviour in adulthood“ (p.51).
Cyberbullying is defined as “being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material or engaging in other forms of social aggression using the internet or other digital technologies” (Siegle, D. (2010) p.150). From this definition it is made obvious just how dangerous this form of bullying is on youth people. Taking into consideration how easy it is for a person to get access to the internet or a mobile phone and the high number of school aged youth using online social networks.
A research report done in 2006 by the national crime prevention council found that 43 percent out of 842 middle and high school students reported to have been victims of cyber bullying over the past 12 months. Furthermore, 81 percent believed that fellow peers engaged in cyber bullying as a means of “joking around“ (Poland, S. (2010) p.55). These results establish that school aged youths that would not bully in the traditional physical ways will start to engage in such behaviour. (Poland, S. 2010) also points out that bullies no longer have to be big, strong and popular, all they need is access to the internet or a mobile phone and a desire to cause harm.
Cyberbully victims social, mental, emotional and physical health are all effected by cyber bullying which often goes on to reflect in their academic ability. School systems typically adopt a zero tolerance regarding school violence; however, schools have not consistently applied this to out of school behaviour. (Poland, S. 2010) states that “what transpires in the virtual world greatly affects school climate; therefore, there exists a need to broaden the scope of school violence to include student interaction on social networking sites as well as with mobile phone messaging”(p.55). However, Court cases have concluded that school officials are within their legal rights to intervene when off campus cyber bullying substantially disrupts the educational environment (Willard, N. 2007).
The next challenge that Parents and school communities face is the alarming number of cyber bully victims that do not tell a adult about their abuse. One American study (Juvonen, J. & Gross, E. 2008) found as many as 90 percent of victims claimed to have not told an adult. This is due to the victims fear of humiliation and embarrassment; not being believed; having their concerns trivialised; and/or having their access to technology restricted (Price, M. & Dalgleish, J. 2010). Therefore, a young person is more likely to disclose their bullying concerns and seek support from a peer rather than a parent or another adult.
One benefit for cyber bullying victims using cyberspace is that it can provide a wide range of coping tools that are not available offline. For example, victims can attempt to avoid receiving messages from suspected bullies by blocking their screen names from their computer, restricting buddy lists or changing their own avatar (Price, M. & Dalgleish, J. 2010).
In conclusion, Cyberbullying has become a serious issue for young school aged people all over the world. It causes its victims to be negatively effected in numerous ways and much more research needs to be done to help protect social network users and mobile phone owners. It is critical to start effectively addressing cyber bullying victims by both increasing the help-seeking behaviour of the victims and improving the efficacy of those they seek support off. Also it is important to remember that it is not the technology that creates the problem, but the misuse of it.
Reference
Price, M. & Dalgleish, J. (2010). Cyberbullying, Experiences, Impacts and Coping Strategies as Described by Australian young people. Youth Studies Australia, 29(2), 51-55. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database.
Siegle, D. (2010). Cyberbullying and Sexting: Technology Abuses of the 21st Century. Gifted Child Today, 33.(2). p14. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier
Poland, S. (2010). Cyberbullying Continues to Challenge Educators. District Administration, 46(5), 55. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database.
Willard, N. (2007). Educator's guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats. Retrieved from http://www.cyberbully.org/cyberbully/docs/cbcteducator.pdf
Juvonen, J. & Gross, E. (2008). Extending the school grounds? Bullying experiences in cyberspace. The Journal of School Health, 78(9), p.496
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