Severity of Cyberbulling

It is hard to say whether cyberbullying is more severe than regular bullying. However, one aspect of cyberbullying that can make it more intense is that words and images can be published and passed around between peers. A teenager may have control to take down comments on their sites which they don’t like and furthermore they can report the harassment to the site provider. Removing these comments and reporting users does not prevent the harassment from continuing. I’ve stated before in a previous blog entry, teenagers admit to saying things online they would not usually say when an adult is around so it is possible that cyberbullying is more severe because of the things teens are saying to each other.

Many kids can’t deal with cyberbullying and take drastic measures. In January 2010, ABC’s Good Morning America reported the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince in Massachusetts. Apparently, she was severely harassed online by many of her peers. One peer suggested that she hang herself and then she did. One thing I found appalling about this article is that even after death she was being harassed. The authors of the article reported “on a memorial page dedicated to the Massachusetts teen who had recently committed suicide, Facebook members left taunting comments that had to be removed.”

The article also goes on to quote Internet safety expert and privacy lawyer Perry Aftab. Aftab explains the reason cyberbulling is harder for kids to deal with is that cyberbullying isn’t just left at school. The bullies can infiltrate your home, school and even “your grandma’s house”. It seems that unless a child who has fallen victim to cyberbullying disconnects from the cyber world it is really difficult for them to escape this kind of bullying.

Massachusetts’s police investigated the murder and at the time, there was a call for a statewide anti-bullying law. At the time, 41 states already had such laws in place. 23 states at the time had laws against cyberbullying. I believe that creating laws that protect teenagers from this kind of bullying will encourage teenagers to report the incidents. It will also help protect teenagers before they reach the state that Prince did. Prince’s story is an unfortunate story of the worst-case scenario of cyberbullying.

Informative Video 2

This video defines cyberbullying as a phenomenon between young persons, but really, cyberbullying is not limited to certain age groups. Maybe it is more common among younger people, but effective prevention of cyberbullying requires that we look at the entire scope of the phenomenon.

The "stop, block and tell" concept is an effective strategy because it allows the bullied the power of jurisdiction. Young people are generally not as equipped to deal with life experiences as adults, so any effort to equip young people and make them aware of their options is a positive force.

This video also advises that people of good intention make it clear to outside viewers that they are joking. Though, the viewing of peers is implied, therefore, this video may not be very effective. A sensible person watching this video is probably already aware of how to conduct themselves socially. Therefore, the answer to bullying may be found in the deeper psychological roots of children. Maybe the power struggles embedded in society are the true root of this problem. I'm not sure what kind of media and message can be used to help end these types of occurrences. Parents have a huge influence on the development of their child's personality. If a child receives lots of love throughout their development and their continuing life, they are likely to be loving towards others. The root of all of this is love. Maybe a solution is to make love "cool."

One Tree Hill Cyberbully Superheroes

On February 9^th 2011, CWTV show One Tree Hill aired an episode where three main characters Brooke, Hailey and Quinn become superheroes and save a teenager from the cyberbullying she is experiencing. The characters have grown restless and for a new “project” decided to become Tree Hill’s new superheroes. They find a girl in need through the help hotline Hailey works at. After they investigate, the girl’s story the go online for information only to find a site (similar to facebook) that is all about bullying this girl. When they see that a few of the girls are planning to beat her up they run to the rescue. You can watch a video of the rescue here.

Although many parents or adults want to take cyberbullying into their own hands, the situation can be very tricky. I previously posted the details of the tragic incident of Megan Meier being harassed online by a parent. While this television show did a great job of spreading an anti-cyberbullying message to teens, I do hope that the adults who watch this show don’t think it is appropriate to harass teenagers. Instead, parents or adults need to contact authorities to deal with these situations. The character Hailey did teach all of the girls involved in this incident but instead of handling the situation outside of school; she could have used her knowledge to handle the situations legitimately.

When parents cyberbully...

Many of the resources I’ve found on cyberbullying help parents understand what they can do when their child is being bullied. But what happens when the parent becomes the bully? In 2008, 13-year-old Megan Meier was harassed on Myspace by a “frenemies” mother. Lori Drew posed as a boy interested in Meier to gain insight into the nature of the her daughter and Meier’s “frenemy” relationship. After seducing this young girl to believe that she had found her “first love” Drew then used her fake myspace account to torture the girl into believing she was an awful person. Drew was only convicted of a few misdemeanor charges for her actions.

Incidents like this are a good reason for cyberbullying laws to exist and be more harsh. Also, this can also be a warning to parents. Parents need to be concerned about what their children are experiencing online and how they are being bullied. However, Drew claimed to have created this account to gain insight into the mutual bullying that was going on between her daughter and Meier. Obviously this is not the way to go about helping your child. I’ve seen many parents get the urge to bully the kids that are harassing their own kids but taking actions like this can cause awful things to happen.

Is there a gender divide in cyberbullying?

When beginning my research on cyberbullying I was curious to find out if girls or boys are more likely to use online tools to harass each other. In Girl Wide Web 2.0, Sharon R. Mazzarella explains that studies have shown that girls and boys use the Internet differently. “Whether on social networking Web sites, surfring for information, or blogging, girls are more likely than boys to use the Web to build social relationships and maintain friendships” (20). After reading this I wondered whether girls are also using these same tools to break friendships. Also, in Shayla Thiel Stern’s, Instant Identity, she explains that “37 percent of adolescent IM users say that they have said something online that they would not have said in person” (2).
In a study done by Dr Gallagher, from Cambridgeshire Educational Psychology Service, he found that girls are more likely to use technology such as texting or the Internet to bully each other. Boys are more likely to stick to traditional forms of bullying. I found information on this study by the Daily Mail Reporter. The article explains that “Dr Gallagher's research surveyed 239 adolescents in a secondary school and their parents”. Students were asked about their experiences with cyberbullying while parents were tested on their knowledge of their own child’s involvement with cyberbullying. One interesting factor that came out of this survey was that “the results showed a strong correlation between pupils who rated themselves as victims also seeing themselves as cyber-bullies”.
Gallagher’s survey was not the only information I found that argued girl’s are more likely than boys to use technology to bully each other. Eric J. Sinrod’s article on CNET also agrees. According to his research, “38 percent of online girls report being bullied when compared with 26 percent of online boys”. He also found that as girls reach the 15-17 age group they were more likely to report being victims of online bullying. Although cyberbullying is an issue, Sinrod explains that 67% of teens reported more bullying to happen offline than on.

Informative Video 1

I stumbled across this youtube video on cyberbullying. I cannot determine the effectiveness of the message, but I applaud the effort. This message is an extension of a caring person's effort to support and to heal the cyberbullied. If this video is watched by a person who is cyberbullied in the future, it may lessen the blow in a defensive sense by providing a pre-emptive strength to the person becoming aware of this phenomenon. However, there may be other ways to prevent the effects of cyber-bullying.

A Thin Line Quiz

After doing research on anti-cyberbullying campaigns, I looked more into MTV’s A Thin Line Campaign. The site provided a test that you can take to see if you draw a clear line between what is appropriate and what is cyberbullying. It consisted of nine questions and my results showed that I know 100% where to draw the line. The questions provided included situations where a teenager might need to draw the line. They were:

1. Your bf/gf texts or IMs you over 100x/day, usually to ask where you are, what you're doing, who you're with, etc. (then it asks you what you think about this)

2. You receive some eye-popping pics of the girl everyone loves to hate.

3. Someone you're hooking up with sends you a very personal dirty video & you're dying to show it to your friends.

4. Somebody posted an online poll for voting on the biggest loser in your class.

5. Somebody hacked into your Facebook or MySpace account and has been posting nasty comments everywhere, pretending to be you.

6. You're getting trashed by everyone online for no reason. It's getting worse every day and you feel like everyone is against you.

7. Your bf/gf gets angry if you don't respond to texts, even in the middle of the night.

8. You think your partner might be cheating. To find out for sure, you...

9. Your friend's new bf keeps sending her suggestive texts and is asking her to send him a nude pic back.

I think that this test is an effective way for teenagers to become aware of what to do when they draw the line and how to do it. For instance the “correct” answer for number six was “defriend the people trashing you, change your privacy settings to block them from accessing your profile, notify the online service provider, and tell a parent, teacher, or authorities that you're being harassed online, so they can get the comments taken down. Take that, losers!”. When many teens are getting harassed online they don’t know what to do. It’s nice that this quiz provides an effective solution. Also, this answer uses language that teenagers can relate such as in the last sentence “Take that, losers!”.

This quiz also included situations on texting or sharing pictures. I was not as aware of the extent that this behavior could turn into cyberbullying. The quiz also takes on situations where the person taking the quiz may cross the line. In question eight the quiz taker is asked what they would do to find out if their partner is cheating on them. One of the responses included hacking their online accounts and harassing their friends for information. The variety of situations provided in this quiz allows teenagers to not just see where their peers may be crossing the line but where they may be crossing the line.

Anti-bully Campaigns

In doing some research this weekend on cyberbullying I found that both MTV and Nickelodeon have launched campaigns to help teens and parents deal with this problem. Nickelodeon’s on-air campaign features some of the stars from the television network. These stars offer advice on what to do when confronted with abusive texts, emails, or Facebook messages. On their website Nick is also promoting Common Sense’s Rules of the Road for Kids.

I first heard about MTV’s campaign from Lauren Le Vine’s post in Tonic. MTV apparently launched the website A Thin Line back in February. On this website you can find information about dealing with cyberbullying and how to keep your privacy online. What I found interesting about this website is the new tool they just launched. Over The Line allows teenagers to submit texts, photos, emails, and comments online that may or may not be offensive. Other members of this community can then rate these statements “over” “on” or “under” to determine which comments are actually comments which are offensive. I think that this new feature is great for teens. It gives them the power to decide what is over the line and not the power to adults who may jump to conclusions too quickly out of the desire to protect their child.

Another interesting aspect about the article in Tonic is the quote they use from Miley Cyrus. She has recently starred in a film released April 1^st called Trust. In this film she plays a 14 year old girl who is sexually abused by a man who lied on the internet to her. I am really interested to watch this movie but I think the effect it may have had on Cyrus’s opinion on the internet is a little extreme. In the Tonic article they claim her advice to teens about using the internet is “Don’t go on the Internet, it’s dangerous, it’s not fun, it wastes your life, and you should be outside playing sports or something.” I wonder if this has anything to do with the movie she just starred in or how much of this advice may have to do with some of the cyberbullying she has experienced as a celebrity. Either way I think telling teenagers to not use the internet is a little naïve. Teenagers are growing up in a digital age and it’s not going to change. Instead of telling kids to get off the internet we need to be promoting campaigns like the ones Nickelodeon and MTV have launched.

What exactly is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is a recent twist on the classic issue that has pervaded our schools and playgrounds. It takes the form of a child or adolescent being targeted through the Internet, texts, and other means of technology. An important distinction is that cyberbullying must be conducted between two minors; otherwise, it becomes cyberharrassment. Although cyberbullying was not originally approached with the appropriate level of gravitas, it has now taken the main stage as a serious concern.

Formerly, a bully had to deal with repercussions: pressure to adhere to social norms, gained notoriety and disrespect from peers and adult figures, and probably guilt at seeing the reaction of the bullied. Now, as more children are increasingly involved with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and numerous blogging websites, others can publicly criticize the subject in an arena that guarantees anonymity, a lack of consequences, and no confrontation.

Several tools are now available, appropriately enough, online. These are intended to educate both parents and kids on how to approach cyberbullying and methods of preventing and dealing with the aftereffects. Two resource, www.stopcyberbullying.org and www.cyberbullyhelp.com provide helpful information and guidelines for dealing with and preventing cyberbullying.

Stop Cyberbullying recommends parents to be proactive with both the bullies and the victims. The website states, “Educating the kids about the consequences (losing their ISP or IM accounts) helps. Teaching them to respect others and to take a stand against bullying of all kind helps too.” Essentially, it is important that kids realize that self-respect is actualized through not only abstaining from bullying and demeaning comments, but also through defending the victims and lending themselves as a support group to the target. Parents also need to be conscientious of finding a balance between apathy and overreacting. While expanding the resources of the target is key (e.g. contacting the guidance counselor, a present religious figure, or family counselor), an immediately antagonistic reaction is not helpful. Angrily confronting the school, the other parents, or even the child creates a new problem and additional shame for the child.

It also advocates being aware of your rights and the law. Two things that should never be tolerated are the posting of personal information and harmful threats. These can and should be taken to a local law enforcement agency in the form of print-outs, and if possible, electronic evidence and live data. Parents can also provide the resource www.WiredSafety.org, if the local law enforcement is not aware of how to properly provide protection and a solution.

CyberBullyHelp encourages parents to have conversations with their child concerning the responsibilities that come along with new pieces of technology, such as phones or online access. Emphasizing the potential fallout of cyberbullying can effectively decrease the number of cyberbullies – children who may not have considered the damage they could induce would now be wiser.

These resources are recommended for all parents, and can be used to stimulate a healthy dialogue with their child.

What I know about cyberbullying

When I was a teenager, I did not even realize there was a term for bullying someone online. I did not realize the significance that the Internet has had on the ways teenagers could bully each other. Cyberbullying is relatively new and I believe it should be studied. I’m not sure how limited my experiences are with this kind of bullying. When I was in middle school, I remember having to change my AOL instant messenger screen name several times because of the harassment I was getting from my schoolmates. Simply blocking their screen names never helped because they would always just create new ones. Also, I felt that there was no one I could really talk to about this situation. I thought that if I told my mother what was happening she would not want me in instant messenger anymore and I loved being online. I had considered telling the school administrators what was going on but because this was happening outside of school, I did not think they held any kind of authority.

While reading Sharon R. Mazzerella’s Girl Wide Web 2.0, I came across a few examples of conversations instant messaging conversations that where very familiar to the ones I experienced. In one example, the two girls are threatening physical violence.

Junkytrunk16: devin dat was real fowl wat u had in ur profile earlier

Junkytrunk16: sayiin BITCHES these days ppl need 2 grow up or wateva

Babyfizzle: yea well ur cruddy and so is aza, and that’s how i feel so oh well

Junkytrunk16: how am I crddy 2an1

Babyfizzle: :-/

Junkytrunk16: an dif sum1 was 2 call u a bitch u wuld be quick 2 fight them devin

Babyfizzle: lest not forget how us said u aint have my back bf, I act like these thing dont bother me but they do and im mad

Babyfizzle: lets*

Conversations like this can escalade. They can be copied and pasted so that what someone says is taken out of context or shared with someone who was not involved in the conversation. Bullying has been an issue with teenagers for a long time but when the Internet becomes involved, it is taken to a different level.

In this blog, I want to explore what cyberbullying is, the effects it has on teenagers and especially young girls, what someone can do when they experience this kind of bullying, and what adults or organizations are doing to help the issue.