The School Bully in Cyberspace
Teens live highly digital and media-rich lives with more communications choices than
ever before. The media explosion is influencing our youths in ways never imagined.
According to the 2007 Pew Internet & American Life Project report Teens and Social
Media, by Amanda Lenhart, Mary Madden, Alexandra Rankin Macgill and Aaron Smith,
most teens spend time online, and about 50 percent of those who use the Internet have at
least one profile on at least one social networking Web site. Youths use such sites to stay
in touch with friends and make new ones. The Pew findings note that 28 percent of teens
using the Internet maintain a blog to write about their lives, ideas, goals and dreams; to
post photos; and to create and share videos. In addition, the report states that 80 percent
of teens own at least one form of what is defined as “new” media technology—a cell
phone, personal data assistant, or computer with Internet access.
As noted in a 2007 special supplement to the Journal of Adolescent Health on electronic
media, the explosion of technology and its use by adolescents has many potential
benefits. Technology provides a way for young people to communicate regularly
with family and friends and may result in teens feeling more connected to others. “The
Internet provides opportunities for adolescents who have difficulty making friends, e.g.,
home-schooled or socially anxious youth, to make rewarding social connections,” point
out Corinne David-Ferdon and Marci Feldman Hertz in the guest editors’ commentary
“Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem.”
The recent wave of youth social activism in the latest presidential campaigns underscores
the power and opportunities that exist when youths are engaged in meaningful ways
through these new media listed above.
As recent studies indicate, along with these benefits, however, new risks continue to
emerge as the technology advances. One disturbing trend is the increasing number of
youths who report being victims of cyber bullying, a form of electronic aggression. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the term electronic aggression to describe
violence that occurs electronically. Cyber bullying, a term not in existence a decade
ago, is now a pervasive and growing problem that can have devastating effects on young
lives and those around such affected youths.
While definitions vary, most experts consider cyber bullying as the use of cell phones,
computers, or other electronic devices to humiliate or harasses someone, and possibly
even threaten physical violence. Like traditional bullying, cyber bullying includes a wide
range of behaviors. Susan Limber, in the lead interview which follows, discusses cyber
bullying, differentiates it from other
forms of traditional bullying, and
provides cyber bullying preventative
strategies for schools.
The magnitude of cyber bullying is
just beginning to surface in research
findings. Recent studies indicate that
around 35 percent of youths report
being targeted by Internet harassment
at least once.
Some studies put the number much
higher. For example, the National
Crime Prevention Council report Stop
Cyberbullying Before it Starts states
that 43 percent of teens have been
victims, and a WiredSafety survey finds
Creating Safe and
Drug-Free Schools
continued on page 2
Almost half of youths surveyed said they
or someone they knew had been victims
or perpetrators of cyber bullying.
Source: National Crime
Prevention Council (2006)
http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying that 51 percent of teens have been bullied
online.
The implications for schools are significant.
Even if the online harassment occurs
outside of school, victims frequently
display behavior problems or anxiety
at school. According to Michele Ybarra,
Marie Diener-West and Philip Leaf in the
2007 article “Examining the Overlap in
Internet Harassment and School Bullying:
Implications for School Intervention”
in the Journal of Adolescent Health, 27
percent of youths who had been targeted
(monthly or more often) in online personal
rumors had carried a weapon to school at
least once. This finding does not indicate a
causal relationship, but “demonstrates an
association between electronic aggression
victimization and a range of psychosocial
difficulties,” according to David-Ferdon
and Hertz.
Some students have indicated they do not
see school personnel as helpful resources
in dealing with cyber bullying. In focus
groups conducted in the Cobb County
School District near Atlanta, researchers
Patricia Agatston, Robin Kowalski and
Susan Limber found that students want to
talk about their concern. In the 2007 article
“Students’ Perspectives on Cyber Bullying”
in the Journal of Adolescent Health,
the researchers describe the students’ need
for such strategies as how “to respond as
a helpful bystander when witnessing cruel
online behavior.”
This issue of The Challenge examines
emerging trends in cyber bullying, an issue
that can have an impact on students’
well-being, safety, and academic achievement.
It discusses research and promising
practices to provide school personnel with
tools to help students navigate cyberspace
safely. 
Prior to implementing a program or strategy to prevent cyber bullying, it is important for school personnel to consult with legal counsel.
|
