Cyberbullying: What Is Cyberbullying and How to Stop It

Cyberbullying: What Is Cyberbullying and How to Stop It

https://www.callersmart.com/guides/49/Cyberbullying-What-Is-Cyberbullying-and-How-to-Stop-It#/cyberbullying-laws

Intro: (US-based)

“Overview:

• What Is Cyberbullying?
• Facts About Cyberbullying
• Cyberbullying Laws
• Sexting Laws
• How to Stop Cyberbullying

What Is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is a broad term and is any form of abuse repeatedly directed at a child through technology by another child. This could be online through social media, like Facebook, or via text messages on their mobile phones. Some of the forms that cyberbullying can take include:

• Sharing and posting videos or photos on social media of a person that are cruel in intention or violent.
• Sharing and posting videos or photos on social media or via text that are sexual in nature or display violent sexual behavior.
• Making threats of physical harm towards a person or telling someone to kill themselves via email, text, or social media.
• Attacking a person online or via text based on their physical appearance, religion, sexuality, or mental ability.
• Impersonating another person online in order to trick someone into revealing personal details, and then sharing it with others.
• Hacking into another person’s social media accounts or email in order to send untrue and cruel messages to others.

With 92% of teens reporting going online at least once daily and 24% stating that they are “online constantly,” the amount of potential exposure to cyberbullying is high. Unlike bullying, cyberbullying can be unrelenting and seem inescapable since it is online and on phones. It can happen at anytime of day, follows pre-teens and teens home after school, and is often completely anonymous.

Cyberbullies can create fake social media profiles and download apps that provide temporary disposable numbers that allow them to send threatening text messages without the victim knowing the identity of their attacker.

In addition to the anonymity, messages, images, and videos can also be spread very quickly via social media and group text messages. Once the information has been shared it’s impossible to delete all of the occurrences of it since it can be downloaded by individuals and repeatedly uploaded.

Facts About Cyberbullying

• Girls (40.6%) are much more likely to be victims of cyberbullying than boys (28.8%). Girls also dominate social media, while boys tend to play videogames.
• Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat are the top three most popular social media platforms for teens. Facebook has created a “Bully Prevention Hub” to help teens, parents and educators stop cyberbullying on the site.
• Bullying and cyberbullying are closely related. Children who are victims of traditional bullying in school also experience cyberbullying at home. Children who bully traditionally will also bully other children on social media and with text messages.
• In a random sample study over 14% admitted to cyberbullying another person, with spreading rumors online, via text, or email being the most common form of bullying.
• A study by McAfee, found that 87% of teens have observed cyberbullying.
• Over 70% of teens have a smartphone, and 15% have at least a basic cellphone, making texting one of the most common means of cyberbullying.”

Stephen