Were you ever a victim of CyberBully?

Several characteristics distinguish cyberbullying from other forms of bullying, such as:

•Students who are victimized have no place to hide, and can be targeted anytime and anyplace.

•Cyberbullying can involve a very wide audience (e.g., through the circulation of video clips on the internet), although the bully may not be aware of the audience’s reactions.

•Students who cyberbully others are relatively protected by the anonymity of electronic forms of contact, which can safeguard them from punishment or retaliation.

•As with some indirect traditional bullying, students who cyberbully do not usually see the response of the victim, changing the satisfactions or inhibitions normally generated by bullying.

Forms of Cyberbullying

Much research has focused on one or two forms of mobile or internet bullying. There are seven forms of cyberbullying: mobile phone calls, text messages, picture/video clips, email, instant messaging, chat-rooms and websites. Of these, phone calls, texts and instant messages were the most commonly reported.

Impact of Cyberbullying

Victims of cyberbullying most commonly report feelings of frustration, anger and sadness  also report that victims feeling worried, threatened and distressed. Although most forms of cyberbullying were rated as having a similar impact, picture video clips were perceived to cause much greater harm than traditional bullying.

Coping Strategies

A common theme in research on bullying has illustrated how victimized children often show a reluctance to seek help. Cyberbullying appears to show a similar trend. Currently, it is not yet clear whether the recommended strategies are actually effective in either ending cyber bullying or effectively coping with its impact.

What Can Parents and Educators Do About Cyberbullying?

Anti-bullying interventions, classroom materials and school policies need to address cyberbullying by making staff and pupils aware of the problem, and provide help for those who experience it. Parents and staff may be unaware of the full range of technologies used by their children. Efforts are needed to enhance their knowledge, of the dangers as well as benefits associated with such technologies. Such awareness and guidance should include information on relevant legal issues and on ways of contacting mobile phone companies and internet service providers. New technologies are already being used in some schools to report both bullying and cyber-bullying behaviour. In this way, the anonymity that is afforded to the bully can be used more constructively to provide both help and support for victims of cyberbullying. In addition, advisory and support materials need to be circulated widely among schools and communities, as cyberbullying can take place anywhere and anytime.