Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying
Each day school children learn valuable skills and lessons from their teachers as well
as through interactions with their peers. Certain children find an outlet for their frustrations
through bullying others. In the past, these actions could be better controlled because they
were limited to face-to-face interactions.
However, in recent years, this age-old conflict has matched the pace of technological
evolutions, making it more dangerous and harder to contain. Cell phones, social media sites,
chat rooms, and other forms of technology have allowed bullying to expand into cyberspace.
This new form of abuse is known as cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying
Status of cyberbullying
Studies have indicated that the number of youth reporting cyberbullying instances
varies greatly depending on the definition of the term and the age of those surveyed. In the
following study, Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin, of the Cyberbullying Research
Center, sampled 4,441 teens, ranging in age from 11 to 18, from a large school district in the
southern U.S. In this study, the researchers defined cyberbullying as “when someone
repeatedly makes fun of another person online or repeatedly picks on another person through
email or text message or when someone posts something online about another person that
they don’t like” (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010c, p. 1).
Prevention
As cyberbullying draws more attention, a universal definition has begun to take shape
within the law. Though not acknowledged across all states, a common definition in
congruence with a wider recognition of the problem makes addressing the elusive issue a bit
easier.
Recognition of the problem
One of the most notable issues that need to be addressed is recognition of the problem
itself. Many people, whether parents, teachers, or even law enforcement officers, do not know
what their specific state laws are in regards to cyberbullying. Along with recognizing the
problem and being able to identify solutions, it is vital that cyberbullying be addressed in a
consistent way. To effectively put a harness on the problem will require “a concerted and
coordinated effort – a partnership if you will – among our families, schools, youth
organizations, and communities” (Morino, 1997).