Bullying and Cyberbullying

Girls are more likely than boys to have experienced several different forms of online bullying;...

15% of teen girls have been the target of at least four of these online behaviors, compared with 6% of boys. -offensive name calling -spreading or false rumors - receiving explicit messages they didn't ask for -constant asking where they are and who they are with -physical threats -having explicit images of them shared without consent

___of students from grades 6-12 have a history of being the victim of bullying.

28%

___of high school students acknowledge having bullied other students

30%

___of U.S. teens have personally experienced at least one of six types of abusive online behaviors.

59%

Bullied for being gay

A teenage boy who was openly gay began receiving death threats via phone, text, and social media for being gay. Students created an anti-gay social media group and harassed him, posting hateful messages about him

Another myth is that the tough and aggressive bullies are basically anxious and insecure individuals who use bullying as a means of compensating for poor self-esteem

Using a number of different methods including projective tests and stress hormones, there is no support for such a view. Most bullies had average or better than average self-esteem

Victims of these behaviors...

also tend to develop or increase their severity of anxiety.

The likelihood of teens facing abusive behavior...

also varies by how often teens go online.

Bullying with physical means is less common...

among girls who typically use more subtle and indirect ways of harassment such as excluding someone from the group, spreading of rumors, and manipulation of friendship relations.

Online harassment does not necessarily begin and end with one specific behavior,...

and 40% of teens have experienced two or more of these actions.

Boys tend to engage in bullying more often than girls...

and a relatively large percentage of girls - some 50 % - report that they are mainly bullied by boys.

Some 45% of teens say they are online almost constantly,...

and these constant users are more likely to face online harassment.

People who were bullied as children are at risk for having less of a supportive social network during adulthood,...

and those who were bullies/victims during childhood may have poorer physical and financial health, more antisocial behavior, and be more likely to become a young parent compared to bullies who have never been the victim of bullying.

Research shows that bullies and their victims...

are also at risk for having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Most school bullying cases do not lead to school shootings,...

but bullying is a serious and more common problem than previously recognized that can leave emotional wounds long after the physical wounds have healed.

Similar shares of boys and girls have been harassed online...

but girls are more likely to be the targets of online rumor-spreading or nonconsensual explicit messages

Physical bullying

can involve hitting, kicking, pinching, pushing, or otherwise attacking others.

Fully 67% of teens who are online almost constantly have been cyberbullied,...

compared with 53% of those who use the internet several times a day or less. •These differences also extend to specific kinds of behaviors. •For example, half of teens who are near-constant internet users say they have been called offensive names online, compared with about a third (36%) who use the internet less frequently.

Research by the Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education involving 37 school shootings, including Columbine,...

finds that about two-thirds of student shooters felt bullied, harassed, threatened or injured by others.

Relational bullying

focuses on excluding someone from a peer group, usually through verbal threats, spreading rumors, and other forms of intimidation.

The bullied individual typically

has trouble defending him or herself and does nothing to "cause" the bullying.

About 10%-14% of children

have been the victim of bullying for more than six months.

Teachers often underestimate...

how much bullying is occurring at their schools

Teens who bully are at greater risk for engaging in delinquent behaviors,...

including vandalism, as well as violence inside and outside of school. They are also at risk of substance abuse and dropping out of school.

Reactive bullying

involves the bully responding to being a former victim by picking on others.

Bullying is a form of _____.

of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort.

The most common type of harassment youth encounter...

online is name-calling

Verbal bullying

refers to the use of words to harm others with name-calling, insults, making sexual or bigoted comments, harsh teasing, taunting, mimicking, or verbal threats.

Bullies and victims tend to experience depression more...

than their peers who have not been involved in bullying, which can lead to academic problems, frequent absences from school, loneliness, and social isolation.

teens from lower-income families are more likely...

than those from higher-income families to encounter certain forms of online bullying.

Parents are aware...

their child is being bullied only about half the time.

Bullying can also involve assault on a person's property

when the victim has his or her personal property taken or damaged.

Bullying can take the form of physical contact,

words or more subtle actions.

, 24% of teens whose household income is less than $30,000 a year...

year say they have been the target of physical threats online, compared with 12% whose annual household income is $75,000 or more. •However, teens' experiences with these issues do not statistically differ by race or ethnicity, or by their parent's level of educational attainment.

Psychological research has debunked several myths associated with bullying, including one that states bullies are usually the most unpopular students in school.

•A 2000 study involving fourth-through-sixth-grade boys found that highly aggressive boys may be among the most popular and socially connected children in elementary classrooms, as viewed by their fellow students and even their teachers.

False identity profile, sometimes referred to as a "Sockpuppet"

•A girl's classmate created a fake social media account in a boy's name, and began an online relationship with her. Though she had not met him in person, the girl divulged personal information about herself and her family to this "boy." The classmate who created the fake account then shared the personal information with other children, who used it to bully, shame, and harass the girl.

Lies and false accusations

•A group of students got into trouble at school for being drunk, and accused a girl who knew nothing about it of reporting them to school officials. They began texting her day and night, and posted hateful, derogatory messages on social media. Other students saw their messages and joined in harassing the girl. She was bullied constantly via text, and in person at school. She eventually shut down her social media accounts and changed her phone number. Still, the bullying at school continued.

Nude photo sharing

•A teenage girl sent a nude photo of herself to her boyfriend while they were dating. After they broke up, he shared the photo with other children, who then called her hurtful, derogatory names via text and social media.

Jealousy bullying

•A teenage girl was harassed by other girls in her class for dating a very popular boy. The girls sent her hateful messages via text and social media, and wrote derogatory messages on her school locker.

Encouraging self-harm or suicide

•A young boy with a physical disability and scars on his face was harassed on social media and via text by other students. They called him derogatory names, told him he'd be better off dead. They wrote "why don't you die?" on his school locker and encouraged him to take his own life.

The typical passive or submissive victims, generally have some of the following characteristics:

•Are cautious, sensitive, quiet, withdrawn and shy. •Are often anxious, insecure, unhappy and have low self-esteem. •Are depressed and engage in suicidal ideation much more often than their peers. •Often do not have a single good friend and relate better to adults than to peers. •If they are boys, they may be physically weaker than their peers.

Warning Signs a Child is Being Cyberbullied or is Cyberbullying Others

•Noticeable increases or decreases in device use, including texting. •A child exhibits emotional responses (laughter, anger, upset) to what is happening on their device. •A child hides their screen or device when others are near, and avoids discussion about what they are doing on their device. •Social media accounts are shut down or new ones appear. •A child starts to avoid social situations, even those that were enjoyed in the past. •A child becomes withdrawn or depressed, or loses interest in people and activities.

Bullied for being economically challenged

•Students posted mean, negative comments on another classmates' social media account, commenting on his clothes and sneakers, which were not the more expensive name brands most of them were wearing. They ridiculed him, calling him "poor" and continued the bullying in school. The boy missed many days of school trying to avoid the harassment and embarrassment.

Preventing and Addressing Cyberbullying

•The vast majority of teens (90% in this case) believe online harassment is a problem that affects people their age, and 63% say this is a major problem. •But majorities of young people think key groups, such as teachers, social media companies and politicians are failing at tackling this issue. •By contrast, teens have a more positive assessment of the way parents are addressing cyberbullying. •How to protect yourself: -Make the most of privacy settings. -Think before you post. -Keep personal information personal. -Speak out.

Bullies tend to exhibit the following characteristics:

•They have a strong need to dominate and subdue other students and to get their own way. •Are impulsive and are easily angered. •Are often defiant and aggressive toward adults, including parents and teachers. •Show little empathy toward students who are victimized. •If they are boys, they are physically stronger than boys in general.

Cyberbullying

•While texting and digital messaging are a central way teens build and maintain relationships, this level of connectivity may lead to potentially troubling and nonconsensual exchanges. •Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. •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.

There is also another, much smaller group of victims, called provocative victims or bully-victims, with partly different characteristics, including:

•frequent reading and writing problems; and •ADHD characteristics. The behavior of the bully-victims tends to elicit negative reactions from many students in the classroom, and the teacher often dislikes them also.