According to the most recent study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center in 2010, one in five students surveyed reported having been cyberbullied. The study compiles the results of 37 schools. Source: Cyberbullying Research Center.
According to a recent study by the University of Georgia, the rate of cyberbullying is tied to more time spent online, addiction to social media, and identifying as male. The research involved adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19. The study describes social media addiction as when users “crave it when they’re not on it.” Researchers found that teens behave differently on social media than they do when in person. They recommend that school counselors try to educate teens earlier about cyberbullying before it occurs.
With an average usage of 105.1 minutes per day, Tik Tok has surpassed YouTube as the most used app by teens and pre-teens in the country. Youtube counts an average usage of 102.6 minutes per day and Roblox 90 minutes per day. Rounding out the top five apps are Amino at 89.5 minutes and Avakin Life at 86.6 minutes. Source: MMGuardian.
According to author Rosalind Wiseman, the best strategy for schools to combat cyberbullying is not necessarily to have an all-school assembly from the outset. Rather she suggests having multiple meetings to address the entire school culture. She recommends having a meeting with faculty, one with parents, and then one with students so that all audiences are addressed. Source: Education.com.
Students at Ridgefield High School located in Ridgefield, Connecticut, started a Facebook page, "Southern Connecticut High Schools: An End to High School Bullying." This is in response to cyberbullying that named invididual students through Twitter with messages such as "RHSrumors," "RHSstudoftheday," and "RHSbabewatch." More than 1,000 members have joined the Facebook page to speak out against cyberbullying.
According to a survey by Cyberbullying Research Center, about one-quarter of girls have been cyberbullied in their lifetime while less than 17 percent of boys have. Source: Cyberbullying Research Center.
If cyberbullying is so dangerous and can cause others to be depressed or even suicidal, why do students do it? We recently conducted an informal, non-scientific survey of visitors to this site. Here are some common reasons:
Anonymity. Teens felt like they could get away with being mean without the victim knowing exactly who they are. They stated that they would not necessarily bully the victim in person.
Piling on. Because others were already doing it, some teens felt like what they were doing was more acceptable.
Jealousy. Some teens expressed that they were jealous of their targets and wanted to take them down a notch.
Getting even. Some said that they were wronged by their victims and just giving them what they deserved.
Victim themselves. Some of the teens stated that they were victims themselves and if they were subjected to cyberbullying, others should be too.
Understanding why teens cyberbully helps us understand what we can do to stop it. For example, we can teach teens that it's not okay to do something just because others are doing it.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that about one-third of students who had been cyberbullied had symptoms of depression (47 percent for those who ahd been both cyberbullied and bullied at school). Of those who were only bullied at school, slightly more than one-quarter showed symptoms of depression. One possible explanation given is that students who are cyberbullied feel more isolated than those who are bullied in school. Source: Boston Globe.
According to a report by National Institutes of Health researchers, youths who are cyberbullying victims have higher rates of depression than those who bully them. This may not be surprising, but what is surprising is that this differs somewhat from traditional non-cyber bullying. In traditional bullying, those who are both bullied and who bully have a higher rate of depression than those who are just victims of traditional bullying. Source: National Institutes of Health.
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