Cyberbullying: A New Place For An Old Practice
Stephen Dueck
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Table of Contents
Abstract …………………………………………………………………………….. . ii
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………......p. 1
Definition of Cyberbullying…………………………………………………………. p. 2
When and Where Cyberbullying Occurs……………………………………………...p. 2
Medium Used For Cyberbullying……………………………………………………..p. 5
Cyberbullying Compared To Traditional Bullying ..………………………………...p. 9
Anonymity of Cyberbullying………………………………………………………….p. 8
Gender and Cyberbullying…………………………………………………………….p. 10
Cyberostracism ………………………………………………………………………..p. 15
The effects of Cyberbullying………………………………………………………….p. 16
Solving The Cyberbullying Problem……...…………………………………………..p. 21
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………p. 23
i
Abstract
School yard bullying has been taking place for many decades. Studies have shown bullying has
many negative effects on it victims. With the advent of the internet and the convergence of
communications technologies, bullying has transmuted to the electronic world. The internet is
no longer just a medium that facilitates exploration and education, but it has also become the
medium for peers to inflict harm on one another. As well, other new forms of communications
technology are also being used to by youth to bully their peers. It stands to reason that this
newest form of bullying called cyberbullying will have similar negative effects on its victims as
traditional forms of bullying. This paper explores how cyberbullying is manifested on its
victims, its negative effects on them, and some possible ways to combat the problem.
ii
Cyberbullying
1
Introduction
“Jodi Plumb, 15, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was horrified to discover an entire site
had been created to threaten and insult her”. (“Cyber bullies target girl”, 2003). “When Joanne
had a row with a longtime friend last year, she had no idea it would spill into cyberspace”
(Swarts, 2005). “With a slight smile, S, an 11-year-old Little Ferry, N.J., girl, said she and her
friends make up rumors about others and spread them online. Sometimes her friends gather in a
chat room, then invite a girl they don’t like and attack her cheap shoes or loser personality”
(Cooper, 2004). Welcome to the world of bullying in the 21st century. Bullying, which at one
time was a face to face encounter with the bully, can now take place, quite literally, from a
continent away. Computer mediated communication (CMC) is now the new playground for those
who bully others online. Computers have made it easier for bullies to gain access to their
victims. “In the nineties, the internet was touted as a space that allowed people to interact in
ways that were free of prejudices because gender, race, and ability were not visible” (Shariff &
Gouin, 2006, p.1). It was seen as a means of enrichment and improvement for people
everywhere whereby they could improve areas of their lives such as education, entertainment,
health and commerce. However, the opposite is also true. The internet has a negative side that
can provide a threatening environment to users, exposing them to personal risk. Bullying via the
internet is one of these new forms of personal risk. This new form of bullying takes using new
technology to a new level. The internet is now a place that is no longer free from prejudices of
race, gender, and ability. The purpose of this paper is to identify what cyberbullying is, who is
doing it and how, as well as the effects that it has on its victims. It will also examine some of the
things that can be done to help combat the problem.
Cyberbullying
2
Definition of Cyberbullying
The name given to this new form of bullying is cyberbullying or cyberharassment. These
terms are used interchangeably and are broadly defined as the “willful and repeated harm
inflicted through the medium of electronic text” (Cyberbullying, 2006). The web site
www.cyberbullying.ca defines cyberbullying as “the use of information and communication
technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory
personal websites, and defamatory online personal polling websites, to support deliberate,
repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others”
(Belsey, 2005).
When and Where Cyberbullying Occurs
This use of information and communications technology (ICT) to engage in derogatory CMC
has moved bullying out of the school yard and right into the homes of the victims.
Traditional face to face bullying took place outside the home, and to escape it, the victim went
home. Children who are bullied at school now go home only to be bullied there as well. As
Patchin & Hinduja (2006) indicate, “physical separation of the bully and the victim is no longer a
limitation in the frequency, scope, and depth of harm perceived and doled out” by bullies (p.
152). Now, the victim is attacked right in his/her own home. It is no longer a place of safety and
refuge from abusive peers. Cyberbullying follows the victims wherever they go. As a result, it is
hard to hide from cyberbullying because it reaches into every corner of a child’s life.
Consequently, bullying has now become a twenty-four hour a day ordeal for some youth.
While cyber bullying is a new phenomenon, traditional bullying has plagued schools for
decades. Traditional bullying that takes place during regular school hours can be distinguished
Cyberbullying
3
from friendly teasing and rough housing. Bullying is always unwanted, deliberate, persistent and
relentless creating a power imbalance between the perpetrator and victim (Artez, et al 2000, as
cited by Shariff & Gouin). It most often involves an aggressive peer threatening and humiliating
a weaker, submissive peer. Often victims are excluded from the group of their peers for such
things as sexual orientation, or simply for appearing to be gay (Jubran, 2002, as cited by Shariff
& Gouin); for their clothes, accent or appearance; for being intelligent or gifted and talented; for
having special needs or disabilities (Glover et al, 1998, as cited by Shariff & Gouin).
Cyberbullying victims are singled out for the same reasons as the victims of traditional bullying
are; for being different.
Cyberbullying is quickly becoming a very significant problem, and for many teenagers, it has
become a part of everyday life. A number of surveys show that it is increasing in frequency and
severity. A study conducted in the spring of 2005, surveyed approximately 1,400 adolescents
who use the internet. Almost 80% reported that cyberbullying occurs online. It was found that
32% of males and 36% of females reported some type of online abuse. Of these students, 40%
were disrespected, 12% were threatened, and 5% actually feared for their safety. Figure 1
summarizes the results of the survey (Patchin & Hinduja, 2005).
Cyberbullying
Figure 1
Figure 2 shows where or by what type of ICT/CMC the abuse occurred (Patchin &
Hinduja.2005).
Figure 2
4
Cyberbullying
5
A Canadian study looked at the online experiences of 432 students in grades seven to nine. They
represented a diversity of class, ethnicity and community. Table 1 summarizes the results of this
survey (Beran & Li, 2005, p. 269). About one third of the students in the first study, and half in
the second study, had been affected by some type of cyberharassment. In a study of 177 middle
school students, the results were similar with 23% saying they were bullied by e-mail, 35% in
chat rooms, 41% by cell phone text messaging, 32% by known school mates, 11% by people
outside their school, and 16% by multiple sources (Li, 2005). The numbers in these studies are
alarming and show the severity of the cyberbullying problem.
Table 1. Number of Students Reporting
Cyber harassment (N=432)
N %
Computers
e-mail/instant messaging
Internet
Chat rooms
Web pages
Unspecified
229 53
198 46
47 11
11 3
31 7
Other
Cell phones
Answering machines
Video cameras
109 25
26 6
18 4
Medium Used For Cyberbullying
From the preceding studies, it is clear that all of the new communications technologies are
being used as a medium for cyberbullying. E-mail, short for electronic mail, the most common
method of CMC, is one of the main bullying mediums. All someone needs is the victim’s e-mail
address in order to send them threatening messages. Internet service providers offer e-mail
services cheap or even free of charge, so all a bully has to do is set up an e-mail
Cyberbullying
6
address under a spurious identity to protect him/herself from the ramifications of his/her actions.
Text messaging or instant messaging is as the name implies; instant communications with the
victim through text. It is a virtual chat room with one other person. With this type of CMC, both
users must have each other’s user names and must be willing to accept the person into their chat
room. Here, too, children often use false names to hide their true identity. Chat rooms, like
instant messaging, use text based communication, but they allow several users into the ‘room’ at
one time. Here, groups of people can congregate and feed off of each other as they bully others
in the ‘room’. A derivative of this is the bash board. This is a nick-name for a chat room or
electronic bulletin board, where people can go online and anonymously write anything they like
about anyone. Due to their visual nature, websites can be a medium for extremely vindictive
bullying. Sites can be set up to torment, harass, and embarrass victims. A San Francisco high
school student hacked into his school’s website, and put up degrading pictures of a student along
with threats and gang slogans. On the Baie Verte Peninsula, a high school student set up a
website where, among other things, was a list of local school girls’ names that were put on a
‘whore of the week’ list. This has also become a popular medium for students to put up
offensive material about teachers. Another type of website that is used by bullies are websites
set up as online voting or polling booths where more than one person can bully an individual.
Here, the bully sets up a web page that allows viewers to vote for the ‘ugliest, dumbest, fattest,
stupidest’, et cetera person/boy/girl/gay/lesbian at xxxxx school.
New cell phone technology has added to the cyber bullies’ arsenal of weaponry. Due to rapid
convergence of communication technologies, this little device is packed with communication
features that, a few years ago, no one thought possible. Cell phones are now
Cyberbullying
7
capable of not just regular phone calls, but can also send small text messages, (SMS), have
digital cameras built into them, and wireless internet access which puts the convenience of the
internet at one’s fingertips anywhere they go. Statistics show that in Europe about half of all
children own a cell phone. As well, the fact that cell phone users need to keep their phones on
for legitimate uses leaves them vulnerable to bullying 24/7. In the United States, about one third
of all children have a cell phone (Beran & Li, 2005). With such technology at their disposal,
bullies can text message people their threats, taunts, and ridicules from anywhere. In a study of
351 primary aged school children, 11% said they had received a rude message or a threat.
Another 17% said that they had received a frightening message while 14% admitted to sending
one (Charlton, Panting, & Hannan, 2002). Camera phones are an insidious form of
communication for bullying. There is a story of an overweight high school freshman in Japan
who, after gym class, changed in what he thought was the privacy of his locker room.
Unbeknownst to him, someone snapped his picture with a camera phone and instantly,
wirelessly, sent it around to dozens of people. Before he could even get to his next class, he was
being ridiculed by his peers. Pictures taken with cell phones can be directly e-mailed or
uploaded to websites without the bully ever having to sit down at a computer (Strom & Strom,
2005). SMS is another method used by teens to bully others. Hateful messages, threats of
violence and death, and insults are just some of the types of messages teens send to their peers
via this method. Mix these new marvels of technology with adolescent aggression, and the scene
is set for some very disturbing events.
Cyberbullying Compared To Traditional Bullying
Cyberbullying
8
Cyberbullying differs from traditional bullying in a number of ways. It used to be that the
bully was physically larger and stronger than the victim. This is no longer the case. Now,
cyber bullies can be smaller and weaker than those they torment. Hiding behind the mask of
electronic anonymity, they can go after anyone they choose, regardless of their size.
Traditional physical bullying is directed at the victim and often involves some form of
physical altercation or verbal attack against the victim. Now, the bullying is aimed at
undermining the reputation of an individual by taking personal information that only a few
people know about, and spreading it to the entire world. The relationship becomes the weapon
with which they emotionally destroy their victim by using emotional warfare to get even (Strom
& Strom, 2004). This type of aggression is known as relational aggression and is most
commonly used by girls because they resort to physical violence less often than males. CMC is
an excellent medium for relational bullying because it is the perfect vehicle for using “such
indirect strategies as spreading gossip and rumors, manipulating friendships, or intentionally
excluding or isolating someone” (Mullin-Rindler, 2003, p. 61).
Anonymity of Cyberbullying
With traditional physical bullying, the bully is easier to identify which, in turn, makes it easier
for the situation to be dealt with if it is reported. Now, the cyberbully sits behind a mask of
anonymity by using false screen names and assumed identities. Li (2005), in a study of 177
middle school students who experienced cyberbullying, found that 41% did not know the identity
of those who cyberbullied them. The cover of anonymity that cyberbullying provides is not only
an obvious attraction, but also facilitates this behavior. This creates two problems. One, the
Cyberbullying 9
perpetrator in some instances is very difficult, if not impossible to find. Two, it creates an
atmosphere in which the cyberbullies can avoid any responsibility for their actions because there
is little or no fear of ever being caught. This lack of fear creates a false sense of security that not
only emboldens the perpetrator, but as Willard (2004) states, makes them “willing to do or say
things that they would be much less likely to do in the ‘real world’” (p. 6) because they feel free
from the normative and social constraints on their behavior. This creates a sense of disinhibition
which Willard (2004) quotes as being “seen as any behavior that is characterized by an apparent
reduction in concern for self preservation and the judgment of others” (Joinson, 1998, as cited by
Willard, p. 6). Technology creates the illusion that the user is invisible or anonymous. It is this
perceived invisibility that makes it easier for the user to rationalize their harmful actions because
they feel as though they cannot get caught. This only serves to embolden the perpetrator, and
may increase the possibility that the harassment will continue face to face. Li (2005) says that
“if electronic bullies remain undetected, their bullying behaviors at school may become more
severe and directly, rather than indirectly, exerted against a victim” (p.271).
In face to face interaction between people, there are contextual clues and feedback that the
persons involved display and perceive which shows the impact of the interaction. Things such as
body language and tone of voice are two things that people use to gauge their interaction with
others. With the use of technology, people are distanced from this feedback, and therefore, do
not have any perception of the harm they may be causing to others online. Consequently,
empathetic response is undermined and feelings of remorse do not occur. Without feeling that
they are engaged in a harmful action, it is easier for them to rationalize cyberbullying behavior
Cyberbullying 10
because they have not perceived that they have caused anyone harm (Li, 2006: Willard, 2004)
This disconnect with emotions can also lead to a person hiding behind the technology in order to
hide from emotionally painful events such as cyberbullying and the ending of relationships. This
is done by texting or e-mailing others this bad news rather than confronting them face to face.
Cyberbullying is different in that it is a new medium for peer abuse. Unlike traditional
bullying, where school administrators can deal with the perpetrators once it is identified, they are
unsure of how to deal with the problem of cyber bullying. Because most of the hate messages are
received by students while they are at home, they feel as though this is outside the boundaries of
their control. This is exacerbated by the fact that children are reluctant to tell any adults about it.
Li (2006), however, found that girls are more inclined to inform adults about incidence’ of
cyberbullying than are boys. Strom and Strom (2004) found that children feared “that parent’s
may over-react by taking away their computer, internet access or the cell phone” (Strom &
Strom, 2004). Keith & Martin (2005) and Belsey (2005) also found that students fear a parental
sanction if they tell them what is happening to them while they are online.
Gender and Cyberbullying
Both boys and girls are perpetrators of cyberbullying. Bullying is always unwanted,
deliberate, persistent and relentless creating a power imbalance between the perpetrator and the
victim (Artez, et al 2000, as cited by Shariff & Gouin). The physical bullying was more the
domain of the boys while relational aggression was the more the domain of the girls. That is
now changing. Due to the very nature of CMC, cyberbullying lends itself to relational
aggression. Consequently, boys are now getting involved in these relational aggression
techniques. For instance, a sixteen year old girl broke up with her boyfriend after a heated
Cyberbullying
11
argument. Feeling rejected and angry, the boy decided to get even with her by putting her cell
phone number, e-mail address, and street address on sex-oriented web sites. As a result, she was
hounded for months by both friends and complete strangers (Strom & Strom, 2005). While
online, boys tend to make more sexually explicit comments, threaten others, and make web sites
targeting others (Cooper, 2004; Swartz, 2005). A plump fifteen year old boy from Quebec video
taped himself playing the part of a Jedi warrior fighting off the enemy with a golf club.
Schoolmates who got a hold of this video, uploaded it to the internet, where it was viewed more
than one million times. The boy has since left school and sought psychiatric help (Cooper, 2004).
Not all online bullying amongst boys is like this. Boys, when bullied, are abused with
homophobic comments and threatened with violence (Cooper, 2004). Girls on the other hand,
tend to use texting much more than boys. Consequently, they inflict more virtual abuse than
boys. Cooper (2004) states “this practice seems to peak in the sixth through ninth grades”
(Cooper, 2004). Girls will tease each other about their physical appearance, or they are isolated
from their peer group. Whether the bully is male or female, it has been found that online, both
are equally likely to instigate disagreement. In one study, the results of how bullies harassed
others online are documented in figure 3 (Cyberbullying, 2006).
Cyberbullying
12
Figure 3
These same teens actually justified their bullying tactics saying that it was either done in fun, to
teach the victim a lesson, or to make them feel stronger. The exact numbers of this study
Figure 4
are evidenced in figure 4 (Cyberbullying, 2006).
With relation to gender and CMC, other studies have showed conflicting results. Li, (2005)
states “even when gender identity is disguised, users carry the same socially constructed,
Cyberbullying
13
gendered behavior, including the particular interaction patterns into CMC settings” (Lea &
Spears, 1995, as cited by Li, 2005, p.389). This would explain why girls are more likely to
engage in relational aggression than boys, and why boys make online threats of physical
violence. However, this too is changing. As a result, Li (2005) goes on to say “CMC provides an
environment where both males and females transgress traditional gender boundaries” (p. 391).
Consequently, boys are delving into relational bullying more and more. This is confirmed in the
findings of a study by Mullany (2000:4) where it was found that “males and females are fully
capable of using strategies associated with either masculinity or femininity” in a CMC
environment (Mullany, 2000:4 as cited by Li, p. 397). In a recent study, researchers at Clemson
University found that online bullying follows a gender pattern that is the polar opposite of what
happens off-line. In school, boys are the main perpetrators and victims. Online, the opposite is
true in that girls’ are the biggest bullies (Chu, 2005). In a survey of 3700 adolescents, it was
“found that over a two month period, 17% of the girls surveyed confessed to bullying compared
to 10% of the boys” (Kowolski, as cited by Chu, 2005, p. 55). Girls tend to inflict more virtual
abuse probably because they spend more time on line in chat rooms or sending instant messages
and e-mails (Kieth & Martin, 2005; Patchin & Hinduja, 2006). There is speculation that
normally girls feel more submissive in face to face confrontation whereas, due to such
anonymity online, they do not feel so constrained. As a result, they are more assertive in online
communications which may lead to more online confrontations. In fact, girls will go so far as to
form alliances to isolate an enemy. These findings are opposite to those of Li (2006), who, after
surveying 264 junior high school students, found that “although no gender difference was found
in relation to victimization, males were more likely to be…cyberbullies than their female
Cyberbullying
14
counterparts” (p. 165). Other researchers have also found that females are less likely to be
involved in bullying (Borg, 1999; Boulton & Underwood, 1992). From the work that has been
done, one thing is very clear; cyberbullies do not discriminate who they bully based on the
bully’s sexual identity. This is further proof that CMC is blurring these lines of gender-based
bullying, but being such a relatively new phenomenon, the full extent of this has yet to be
determined.
Boys and girls are both perpetrators and victims of cyberharassment, yet girls seem to be the
primary targets (Li, 2006). Some of this harassment consists of online gender harassment,
unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion. In Australia, a nine year old grade four girl was
sent very pornographic e-mails. Her parents assumed it was an adult, yet when the source was
traced back to its sender, the offensive e-mails were found to be sent from a male classmate.
Gender harassment seems to be the most common, and includes the following; active verbal
sexual harassment, passive verbal sexual harassment, active graphic gender harassment, and
passive graphic gender harassment. In their literature review, Shariff & Gouin (2006) found that
25% of internet users aged ten to seventeen were exposed to unwanted pornographic images.
This shows that the internet is also being used by bullies to sexually harass their victims. They
give the four following types of cyber violence:
1) online contact leading to offline abuse (misrepresentation leading to fraud, theft,
unwanted sexual contact); 2) cyber stalking, which comprises online monitoring or tracking
of users actions with criminal intent; 3) online harassment, which consists of unwanted,
repeated and deliberate threats, abuses and alarms; and 4) degrading on-line representations of
women through words or images that invite disrespect or put downs (Shariff & Gouin, 2006)
It is a well known fact that sexual harassment offline can lead to a number of negative effects
on it victims. These include decreased motivation, reduced performance at work/school,
Cyberbullying
15
psychological disorders and negative emotions (Barak, 2005). It has been found that
cyberbullying has the same effects on its victims as traditional bullying (Li, 2005; Patchin,
2006), so it stands to reason that the effects of cyber sexual harassment will be similar to sexual
harassment that occurs face to face. In fact, Barak (2005) says that “it seems that the social
norms in relation to the status of women versus men, as well as other minority groups, have a
spillover effect and they penetrate the internet” (p. 85). This would help to explain the many
reports of women who experience sexual harassment over the internet.
Cyberostracism
Cyberostracism is another type of cyberbullying that is more subtle than outright online
bullying. Williams, Cheung, & Choi (2000) state that “ostracism is the act of ignoring and
exclusion” and “has been widely documented as ubiquitous and powerful” (p.748). Junior high
students are at a point in their lives where there is abrupt biological and social change (Pellegrini
& Bartini, 2000) and the need to belong to a peer group intensifies. Campbell (2005) states that
consequently “communication amongst peer group members is central to the identity of the
individual” (p. 4). Patchin & Hinduja (2005) state that a child’s “self esteem is largely defined
by the way that others view them” ( p. 149). It is these changes within an adolescent’s social
network that open them up to incidences of bullying. One of the main ways in which they
achieve peer status is to engage in the use of selective aggression which includes open and
deliberate ostracism towards their peers. With the use of CMC technologies, this ostracism
continues in cyberspace. In studying cyberostracism, Williams et al. (2000) found that the more
intense the online ostracism was, the more the person felt left out. In fact, the more they were
ignored and left out, the more they noticed it and experienced worsened mood and feelings of
Cyberbullying
16
exclusion. These findings are consistent with those of Patchin & Hinduja (2006) in their study
of cyberbullying. Williams et al. (2000) also found that those who were ostracized online were
more likely to try to conform in order to be accepted. Rubin (2005) says that “a typical message
would be: We r all going to the shops and we don’t want u 2 come” (Rubin, 2005). It is no
wonder then that the measure of social exclusion that adolescents use against those they dislike
in order to make them aware of their isolation is so successful.
Cell phones are an integral part of peer group communication. As a result, those teens who
have cell phones gravitate toward one another and, consequently, those who do not have cell
phones are left out. In fact, Charlton et al. (2002) say that teens who do not have access to a
cell phone “risk being socially excluded because of both their unfamiliarity with technology
innovation and their disengagement from the communication technologies used by the majority
of their peers to ‘talk’ with peers” (p.156). This leaves them vulnerable to social exclusion.
Teens pick up on this exclusion and further ostracize them in front of their peers.
The result of this ostracism results in a number of negative effects on a child. Patchin &
Hinduja (2006) say that “according to the social acceptance model, self-esteem stems from the
perceptions that others have of the individual” (Cooly, 1902 as cited by Patchin & Hinduja, p.
149). Consequently, when individuals perceive themselves to be rejected, there can be many
negative results including depression, aggression and substance abuse. Figure 6 shows that some
of these same negative findings are experienced by those who are cyberbullied.
The Effects of Cyberbullying
Whether it is boys or girls being bullied, cyber bullying unquestionably has an impact on its
victims. Ybarra & Mitchel (2004) state that internet harassment is “intended to psychologically
Cyberbullying
17
agitate another person” (p. 1310). (Olweus,1993;Nansel et al., 2001, as cited by Ybarra &
Mitchel, 2004). They go on to report that“aggressor/targets of online harassment were almost six
times as likely to report emotional distress as a result of being the target of internet harassment”
(Ybarra & Mitchel, 2004, p. 1313). In their study, Beran & Li (2005) asked 100 school children
ten questions that indicated their emotional and behavioral responses to cyber bullying. The
results are shown in Table 2. As evidenced from this table, victims experience a wide range of
emotions, and there is a range of negative resultant behaviors. Just as victims of school bullying
tell of the emotions they experience as a result of bullying, children who are bullied online have
these same feelings, including anger, sadness, embarrassment, being afraid,
even blaming themselves for the bullying that is being done against them. This is victimization
in the truest sense of the word when people start to blame themselves for the abuse that they
experience at the hands of their abusers. This also affects their school work as they suffer from
the inability to concentrate on it. It is no wonder that a 14 year old girl from Illinois said that
Cyberbullying
18
Table 2. Impact of Experiencing Cyber Harassment (n = 100) (Beran & Li, 2005, p. 270)
Frequency of each response
Never Once/twice Few times Many times
Emotions
Angry
Sad/hurt
Anxious
Embarrassed
Cried
Afraid
Blames myself
Behaviors
Poor concentration
Low school achievement
Absenteeism
Almost
every day
17
30
60
56
61
64
57
26
34
22
25
20
21
25
32
21
13
11
9
13
11
18
12
4
7
8
1
4
7
3
1
1
2
1
3
44
79
87
34
11
9
16
5
2
6
4
0
0
1
2
“it makes me feel depressed a lot. It affected me for about 3-4 years. I hated being
[cyber]bullied. I would come home and just cry. It just really hurt” (Cyberbullying,
2006). There is a case of fifteen year old Gail Jones from Mersyside, who, after receiving twenty
abusive messages in a half hour, killed herself by taking an overdose (Rubin, 2005). Other
studies have had similar findings. One such study of 1500 internet using adolescents found that
females, more than males, felt frustrated, angry, and sad. The full results of these studies are
clearly evidenced in figures 5, 6, and 7 (Cyberbullying, 2006). Ybara & Mitchel (2004) found
that “aggressor/targets of online harassment were almost six times as likely to report emotional
distress as a result of being the target of internet harassment compared to victim only youth” (p.
1313). This same study went on to find that these same people were also more likely to show
serious psychosocial problems including substance use, depression, and low school commitment.
Cyberbullying
Figure 5
Figure 6
19
Cyberbullying
20
Figure 7
It is clear that cyberbullying has a negative effect on young children and adolescents. Like
traditional bullying, it creates the same power imbalance between the perpetrator and the victim
by establishing control over them through humiliation (Beran & Li, 2005). A worst case
scenario is that some of these adolescents’ responses to cyberbullying will be that they
perpetuate the violence both online and offline. The negative emotions such as anger that arise
from this abuse can pressure these kids into delinquency. As a result, the frustrated victim
attempts to resolve this strain through some sort of antisocial behavior (Agnew, 1992). An
example of this is what happened recently when a New Brunswick teen stabbed another over an
incident that started online. Another concern is what the long term effects of cyberbullying will
be on the perpetrators. Is this cyberbullying just a phase that young children and adolescents are
going through or is it the beginning of a life long pattern of abuse and misbehavior?
Cyberbullying is too new a phenomenon to tell, but if the life long affects are the same as those
of traditional bullying, the future picture is not too bright.
Cyberbullying
21
Solving The Cyberbullying Problem
Due to the anonymity of the cyberbully, can anything really be done about it? Because of
assumed screen names, authorities have difficulty correctly identifying the perpetrator. Another
complication is that students often share their screen names with friends, so pretending to be
someone else is easy to do. It has been found that students are reluctant to tell their parents about
it because they fear that parents will react by taking away their computer privileges from them.
In fact, in their study Patchin & Hinduja (2005) found that almost 42% of all kids who are
victims of cyber bullying don’t tell their parents for fear of repercussions or just being labeled a
tattler. They also fear the children that are bullying them and that telling on them will incite more
of the same treatment.
Figure 8 (Cyberbullying, 2006)
The answer is not to have students just disconnect themselves from the internet. To do this
would be cutting students off from an essential aspect of their social life. Messaging and chat
rooms are to them are what the telephone was to their parents when they were at that age. In
trying to deal with this new problem, school administrators are walking into new territory. As
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22
well, due to the right of free speech, it is much harder to take down a website. Because this type
of abuse usually occurs outside of the school, there are doubts about what exactly the boundaries
of their authority are. The first thing to do is make students realize that cyber bullying, like any
other form of harassment, is a crime, and that it can be prosecuted as such. They also need to
realize that if they spread discrimination or hatred based on sexual orientation, sex, age, race,
ethnic origin, colour, religion, marital status, family status, or disability, they may also be
violating the Canadian Human Rights Act (Challenging Cyber Bullying, 2006).
In the schools, cyberbullying should be dealt with in a forthright and direct manner. Schools
should have a clear acceptable use policy which warns potential offenders of the consequences of
cyber bullying. Each time a person sends a message electronically, whether it is
text, e-mail, chat, even cell phone communication of any type, there is an electronic trail of
breadcrumbs left behind. Students need to be made aware of this fact so that they know their
messages can eventually be traced back to them. All activity in cyberspace is downloadable and
printable. If students are being harassed online, they need to save and print all offending
messages as proof of what is happening to them. Teachers need to have professional
development made available to them that helps develop their computer skill and awareness.
Giving them resources such as websites like www.netsmartz.com, www.isafe.org, and
www.disney.go.com/surfswell that they can use with students to educate them about online
safety will help deal with this problem. This will give them the skills to be able to council and
mentor those students who abuse acceptable use policies.
Parents are another source for educating their children on internet use. Parents need to be
made aware of the dangers the internet can pose for their children. Students often come home
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23
from school and spend hours in their room in front of the computer with no supervision what so
ever. Parents educate their children and set down rules when it comes to things like dating, sex,
driving a car, or using a firearm, why should the internet be any different? It is up to them to set
down guidelines for their children’s internet usage. Parents should monitor their child’s internet
usage and keep track of their internet activities. The school can take a proactive role in helping
to educate parents by offering information sessions to parents or simply by putting links to web
sites about these matters on their school web site.
There are a number of simple things that can be done to lessen the risk of children being
bullied at home. Students should never give out their passwords for e-mail, access to websites
that they are making, or for chat sessions such as ICQ or MSN. Ironically, the same anonymity
that is used to hide a cyberbullies identity from their victims can be used to protect children from
this form of abuse. By using assumed names in online messaging and chat rooms, children can
protect themselves from these people. E-mail filters can be set up to filter out e-mails from
people who are harassing them and MSN can also be set up to block users who are harassing
them. If any bullying or offensive communication is taking place, all of it should be printed off
and kept as evidence. Tracking down cyber bullies is very difficult, but it can be done. Parents
may have to go to their ISP in order to lodge a complaint. If the bully is threatening physical
harm, parents can go to the police. The same criminal laws that apply to traditional face to face
bullying also apply to cyber bullying.
Conclusion
Technology has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for students. With the internet
and new communications technologies, they have the world at their fingertips. The possibilities
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for learning and socializing are endless but so to are the possibilities for doing serious harm to
others. It is evident that cyberbullying has similar, if not the same detrimental effects on its
victims as traditional bullying. For this reason, young people need to have instilled in them a
sense of responsibility that will lead to a responsible use of this technological power they have at
their fingertips. Having this new and rapidly changing and expanding technology gives these
students great power, and with great power comes great responsibility to use it wisely.
Cyberbullying
25
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