Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology.

Electronic technology includes devices

and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social
media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.
Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social
networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.
Why Cyberbullying is Different
Kids who are being cyberbullied are often bullied in person as well. Additionally, kids who are cyberbullied have
a harder time getting away from the behavior.

Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is
alone. It can happen any time of the day or night.
Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide
audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source.
Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult after they have
been posted or sent.
Effects
Cell phones and computers themselves are not to blame for cyberbullying. Social media sites can be used for
positive activities, like connecting kids with friends and family, helping students with school, and for
entertainment. But these tools can also be used to hurt other people. Whether done in person or through
technology, the effects of bullying are similar.
Kids who are cyberbullied are more likely to:

Use alcohol and drugs

Skip school
Experience in-person bullying
Be unwilling to attend school
Receive poor grades
Have lower self-esteem
Have more health problems

Protection
There are laws that only address online harassment of children or focus on child predators as well as laws that
protect adult cyberstalking victims, or victims of any age. Currently, there are 45 cyberstalking (and related)
laws on the books.

While some sites specialize in laws that protect victims age 18 and under, Working to Halt Online Abuse is a
help resource containing a list of current and pending cyberstalking-related United States federal and state
laws.[58] It also lists those states that do not have laws yet and related laws from other countries. The Global
Cyber Law Database (GCLD) aims to become the most comprehensive and authoritative source of cyber laws
for all countries.[59]
Age
Children report being mean to each other online beginning as young as 2nd grade. According to research,
boys initiate mean online activity earlier than girls do. However, by middle school, girls are more likely to
engage in cyberbullying than boys.[60] Whether the bully is male or female, his or her purpose is to intentionally
embarrass others, harass, intimidate, or make threats online to one another. This bullying occurs via email, text
messaging, posts to blogs, and web sites.
The 8 most common cyberbullying tactics used by teens are listed below:
1. Exclusion: Teenagers intentionally exclude others from an online group.
2. Cyberstalking: Teens will harass others by constantly sending emails, messages, or tagging others in
posts they dont want to be tagged in.
3. Gossip: Post or send cruel messages that damage anothers reputation, relationships, or confidence.
4. Outing/Trickery: Trick another teen into revealing secrets or embarrassing information which the
cyberbully will then share online.
5. Harassment: Post or send offensive, insulting, and mean messages repeatedly.
6. Impersonation: Create fake accounts to exploit another teens trust. They may also hack into an
account and post or send messages that are damaging to the persons reputation or relationships.
7. Cyber Threats: Threaten or imply violent behavior toward others to make them feel uncomfortable.
8. Flaming: Fights online that involve hateful or offensive messages that may be posted to various
websites, forums, or blogs.[61]
Studies in the psychosocial effects of cyberspace have begun to monitor the impacts cyberbullying may have
on the victims, and the consequences it may lead to. Consequences of cyberbullying are multi-faceted, and
affect online and offline behavior. Research on adolescents reported that changes in the victims' behavior as a
result of cyberbullying could be positive. Victims "created a cognitive pattern of bullies, which consequently
helped them to recognize aggressive people."[62] However, the Journal of Psychosocial Research on
Cyberspace abstract reports critical impacts in almost all of the respondents, taking the form of lower selfesteem, loneliness, disillusionment, and distrust of people. The more extreme impacts were self-harm.
Children have killed each other and committed suicide after having been involved in a cyberbullying incident.[63]

The most current research in the field defines cyberbullying as "an aggressive, intentional act or behaviour that
is carried out by a group or an individual repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend
him or herself" (Smith & Slonje, 2007, p. 249).[62] Though the use of sexual remarks and threats are sometimes
present in cyberbullying, it is not the same as sexual harassment, typically occurs among peers, and does not
necessarily involve sexual predators.
Some cases of digital self-harm have been reported, where an individual engages in cyberbullying against
themselves, or purposefully and knowingly exposes themselves to cyberbullying.[64][65]

On youth and teenagers

The effects of cyberbullying vary. But, research illustrates that cyber bullying adversely affects youth to a higher
degree than adolescents and adults. Youth are more likely to suffer since they are still growing mentally and
physically.[120] Jennifer N. Caudle, a certified family physician, describes the effects as "Kids that are bullied are
likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness and poor sleep".[121]
Most of the time cyberbullying goes unnoticed; the younger generation hides their bullying from anyone that
can help to prevent the bullying from occurring and from getting worse. Between 20% and 40% of adolescents
are victims of cyberbullying worldwide.[120][122] The youth slowly change their behaviors and actions so they
become more withdrawn and quiet than they are used to, but no one notices since the change is subtle.[120]
[122]

The youth become more anxious and timid in all types of environments and settings. According to A Study

on Primary School Students Being Cyber Bullies and Victims According to Gender, Grade, and Socioeconomic
Status, cyberbullying victims "have psychological problems, such as lack of self-confidence, distress,
disappointment, fear of school, lack of academic achievement, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and suicide.
Cyberbullying will "become a serious problem in the future with an increase in the Internet and mobile phone
usage among young people".[122]
If preventive actions are not taken against cyberbullying, younger children in addition to teenagers will feel
more lonely and depressed along with having a significant change in their eating and sleeping patterns as well
as loss of interest in their normal activities. These changes will affect their growth and development into
adulthood.[120][122] Younger children and teenagers are 76.2% less likely to display suicidal behaviors and
thoughts, but are still at risk depending on other factors such as mental health status, home care, relationships
with others.[122] The risk of suicide increases 35% to 45% when victims do not have any support from anyone in
their life and cyberbullying amplifies the situation more.[120]

TTB V

1.

Nearly 43% of kids

have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once.
2.

70% of students report seeing frequent bullying online. Filling up your friends' Facebook
feeds with positive posts instead of negative ones can boost school-wide morale. Start a
Facebook page for students to submit positive acts they see in school to promote a culture of
positivity on and offline. Sign up for Positivity Page.

3.

Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for
cyber bullying.

4.

68% of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem.

5.

81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in
person.

6.

90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it. 84% have
seen others tell cyber bullies to stop.

7.

Only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse.

8.

Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying.

9.

About 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More
than 4 out 10 say it has happened more than once.

10.

Bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide.

11.

About 75% of students admit they have visited a website bashing another student.