Cyberbullying (continued)

Where are children and youth cyber bullied?

In a recent telephone survey of preteens (6-11 year-olds) and teens (12-17 year-olds) (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006):

• 45% of preteens and 30% of teens who had been cyber bullied received the messages while at school;
• 44% of preteens and 70% of teens who had been cyber bullied received the messages at home; and
• 34% of preteens and 25% of teens who had been cyber bullied received the messages while at a friend's house.

Do children tell others if they are cyber bullied?

According to one telephone survey of preteens and teens (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006):

• 51% of preteens but only 35% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told their parents about their experience;
• 27% of preteens and only 9% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told a teacher;
• 44% of preteens and 72% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told a friend;
• 31% of preteens and 35% of teens who had been cyber bullied had told a brother or sister; and
• 16% of preteens and teens who had been cyber bullied had told no one.

How does cyber bullying differ from other traditional forms of bullying?

Although there is little research yet on cyber bullying among children and youth, available research and experience suggest that cyber bullying may differ from more “traditional” forms of bullying in a number of ways (Willard, 2005), including:

• Cyber bullying can occur any time of the day or night;
• Cyber bullying messages and images can be distributed quickly to a very wide audience;
• Children and youth can be anonymous when cyber bullying, which makes it difficult (and sometimes impossible) to trace them;

What can adults do to prevent and address cyber bullying?

Adults seldom are present in the online environments frequented by children and youth. Therefore, it is extremely important that adults pay close attention to the cyber bullying and the activities of children and youth when using these new technologies.

Suggestions for parents*

Tips to help prevent cyber bullying:

• Keep your home computer(s) in easily viewable places , such as a family room or kitchen.
• Talk regularly with your child about on-line activities he or she is involved in.
  • Talk specifically about cyber bullying and encourage your child to tell you immediately if he or she is the victim of cyber bullying, cyberstalking, or other illegal or troublesome on-line behavior.  View the Campaign’s webisodes with your child and discuss in particular webisode #5 that addresses cyber bullying.
  • Encourage your child to tell you if he or she is aware of others who may be the victims of such behavior.
  • Explain that cyber bullying is harmful and unacceptable behavior.  Outline your expectations for responsible online behavior and make it clear that there will be consequences for inappropriate behavior.
• Although adults must respect the privacy of children and youth, concerns for your child’s safety may sometimes override these privacy concerns.  Tell your child that you may review his or her on-line communications if you think there is reason for concern.
• Consider installing parental control filtering software and/or tracking programs, but don’t rely solely on these tools.

Tips for dealing with cyber bullying that your child has experienced: