Online bullying a
growing part
of US teen Internet
life
by Glenn Chapman, AFP
from the Web, December 3, 2007
San Francisco -- US
researchers warn that bullies are taking their hurtful ways from real-world
schoolyards to the "cyber" world by targeting teens with nasty e-mail, text
messaging, and online chat.
The number of children ages 10 to 17 that say they were abused by "cyber
bullies" climbed 50 percent, from six percent in 2000 to nine percent in 2005,
according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
"One thing that stands out is that aggression perpetuated with technology goes
far beyond cyber bullying," said Corrine Ferdon, one of the authors of the CDC
report on "electronic aggression and youth violence."
"Technology is constantly evolving and if we focus on the Internet we will miss
the show."
Instant messaging, including text messages sent to mobile telephones, is the
most common way to send taunts, teases, threats, insults or other bullying
messages, according to report co-author Marci Hertz.
Unlike in schoolyards where bullies have to face victims, the Internet lets
abusers remain anonymous, Hertz said.
The majority of the self-described victims in the study said they didn't know
who the "cyber bullies" were, Hertz told AFP.
"In the schoolyard you could defend yourself by speaking back but it is a
completely different dynamic online," Hertz said.
"Some kids might be able to shrug it off, turn off the computer and move on.
But some kids are more fragile."
A 13-year-old Missouri girl hanged herself with a belt in November after
exchanging insults via her profile page at MySpace.com with a person she was
tricked into thinking was a 16-year-old boy named "Josh."
The final message sent by Josh, who flirted with the girl for weeks online, was
reportedly "The world would be a better place without you."
It turned out Josh was an online persona created by the mother of a former
friend of the girl. The woman told investigators she played the charade to
find out what the girl really thought of her daughter, who was the jilted
friend.
After finding out the mother's behavior didn't break the law, local politicians
made it illegal to harass people on the Internet.
Police in Tennessee say that one teenage girl stabbed another over a comment
posted at the Facebook social networking website.
School officials in some US cities restrict access to the Internet or mobile
telephones on campuses.
"Some of this hysteria about bullying is just a way to try to regulate and
surveil kids," said Nan Stein, a scientist at the Wellesley College's center for
women, where she directs research on sexual harassment.
"We need to encourage kids to be citizens of the world. Being nice helps too,
but we shouldn't be regulating."
The CDC performed its study of electronic aggression because it receives calls
from "a lot of US schools" asking for advice regarding how to handle cyber
bullying, Hertz said.
The report found that 64 percent of youths that said they were bullied on line
contended they were not bullied at school. A separate US study concludes
children bullied online are more likely to take guns to school.
It is vital for parents to be aware of their children's online experiences
because electronic bullying is most likely to take place at homes or other
places where teachers can't be alerted, researchers said.
As youth lifestyles increasingly involve the Internet and new ways to
communicate it is understandable that bullying migrates from the real-world to
the cyber arena, said University of California, Berkeley, researcher and
sociologist C.J. Pascoe.
"It is the online manifestation of what they are doing in the schoolyard," said
Pascoe, the author of a book on bullying titled "Dude, You're a Fag."
"The issue is being overblown. We should be concerned with bullying and
harassment in general, no matter where it takes place."
The popularity of social networking websites where people post profile pages
packed with personal information and rosters of friends provide rich fodder for
bullies, says Pascoe.
In contrast, online messaging and social networking can also be safe havens for
shy children that have trouble making friends in the real world or get bullied
in real life situations, according to Pascoe.
"We highlight in our article the benefit of technology," Hertz said of the
published report.
"Kids are better able to make friends, maintain social connections and get
accurate information. We really encourage more talking rather than
blocking or prohibiting access to technology."
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