Cyber Bullying

What is Cyberbullying ?

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

• Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat
• Text messaging and messaging apps on mobile or tablet devices
• Instant messaging, direct messaging, and online chatting over the internet
• Online forums, chat rooms, and message boards, such as Reddit
• Email
• Online gaming communities

The 7 Types of Cyberbullying

1. Exclusion

Exclusion is the act of leaving someone out deliberately. For example, your child might be excluded/uninvited to groups or parties while they see other friends being included, or left out of message threads or conversations that involve mutual friends.

2. Harassment

Harassment is a broad category under which many types of cyberbullying fall into, but it generally refers to a sustained and constant pattern of hurtful or threatening online messages sent with the intention of doing harm to someone.

3. Trickery

Trickery is similar to outing, with an added element of deception. In these situations, the bully will befriend their target and lull them into a false sense of security. Once the bully has gained their target’s trust, they abuse that trust and share the victim’s secrets and private information to a third party or multiple third parties.

4. Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking is a particularly serious form of cyberbullying that can extend to threats of physical harm to the child being targeted. It can include monitoring, false accusations, threats, and is often accompanied by offline stalking. It is a criminal offense and can result in a restraining order, probation, and even jail time for the perpetrator.

5. Fraping

Fraping is when a bully uses your child’s social networking accounts to post inappropriate content with their name. It can be harmless when friends write funny posts on each other’s profiles, but has potential to be incredibly harmful. For example, a bully posting racial/homophobic slurs through someone else’s profile to ruin their reputation.

6. Masquerading

Masquerading happens when a bully creates a made up profile or identity online with the sole purpose of cyberbullying someone. This could involve creating a fake email account, fake social media profile, and selecting a new identity and photos to fool the victim. In these cases, the bully tends to be someone the victim knows quite well.

7. Trolling

Trolling is when a bully will seek out to intentionally upset others by posting inflammatory comments online. Trolling may not always be a form of cyberbullying, but it can be used as a tool to cyberbully when done with malicious and harmful intent. These bullies tend to be more detached from their victims, and do not have a personal relationship.

Facts about Cyber Bullying

Cyberbullying has reached new levels as more young people spend the bulk of their time on the internet. It has almost become a rite of passage. If you are a teenager, you are probably either a perpetrator or a victim. Only recently has cyberbullying been considered a real problem. Unfortunately, there is still a debate on whether it counts as bullying at all.

1 – More than One Third of All Students Are Cyberbullied

Across all age ranges, students experience online harassment at astonishing rates. These run the gamut from repeated negative contact to sexual harassment to bullies pretending to be the other person and posting personal or false information about them.

2 – Social Media is the #1 Cyberbully Platform

A large chunk of all youth socialization occurs on social media platforms these days, which makes it a frequently used platform for mean behavior. Monitoring Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook use can help reduce the risk.

3 – Nearly 25% of Students Admit to Mean Behavior

The anonymity of the Internet makes it too easy for people to pick on others and engage in bullying behavior. This is often the result of joining in with instigators in an attempt to belong to a popular group.

4 – Girls Suffer from Cyberbullying Most Often

Stereotypical "mean girl" behavior descends into cyberbullying frequently and affects girls and young women at surprising rates. It is important to take action to help girls stand up for themselves and establish strong self-esteem and positive communities.

5 – The Majority Who See Cyberbullying Do Nothing

Although some join in, as mentioned above, far more people who witness bullying behavior online do nothing to stop it. Also, very few bystanders or bullied people themselves report the behavior to their parents, teachers, or the social media platform.

6 – Smartphone Use Is Linked to an Increase

With most children having access to their own phone before they are ten years old these days, it's difficult to stop bullying behavior on the most popular chat apps and interactive games. There is more continuous access which results in greater numbers of affected youth.

7 – Online Games Are Common for Cyberbullying

All games come with some level of playful "trash talking," but more games are connected with communities rife with cyberbullying. This leads to exclusion, direct violent attacks, and destruction of the victim's ability to enjoy their favorite game or pastime.

8 – Cyberbullying Puts Youth at Higher Risk of Suicide

Rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation have risen continuously for children and teens in the past decade. Cyberbullying is one of the key factors that contributes to these horrible things. 

9 – Parents, Teachers, Administrators, and Youth Can Help Stop Cyberbullying

If the increasing prevalence of cyberbullying will ever stop, it is up to everyone to make efforts to improve it. The social media platforms, gaming sites, and chat apps must also tighten their restrictions and create strong responses to any bullying behavior.