Cyberbullying occurs when someone uses an electronic device to post text or images that hurt another. While most states have laws that prohibit cyberbullying on school grounds, cyberbullying commonly occurs when children are at home. The best defense for cyberbullying is to be aware of bullying symptoms. Also, talk with your children about online bullying and Internet dangers and monitor their device use.
School or Social Phobia
Cyberbullies often use the Internet as a platform to bully others without giving away their true identities. It is common for children who are victims of cyberbullying to develop social or school phobias because of this uncertainty of their aggressor. Lack of interest in social events that include other students, sudden "illness" before school or community events and frequent visits to the school nurse are common coping mechanisms of a child enduring the fear of cyberbullying.
Depression
Mean and hurtful comments and the spreading of rumors are the most common forms of cyberbullying, according to the National Institutes of Health. The nature of the Internet to recycle information and renew pain for victims of cyberbullying often leads to depression. Trouble sleeping, stomach upsets, lack of appetite, becoming withdrawn and aggressive behaviors are all symptoms of depression. Depressive symptoms stemming from cyberbullying are identical to those in depressive disorders and can be distinguished by their suddenness.
Secrecy
Victims of cyberbullying often become secretive because of feelings of embarrassment and fear. A 2003 study conducted by i-SAFE found that 58 percent of kids who had experienced cyberbullying did not tell parents or an adult about the incident. Cyberbullying victims often spend long hours online for "homework" yet experience decreased success in classes. Secrecy over cellnphone calls, Web page activity and whom they are talking with online are also warning signs of potential cyberbullying.
Reduced Self-esteem
Cyberbullying often involves manipulation of children to extract personal information. This information is then used against the child via emails, text messages and social networking by those he deemed trustworthy. This often results in a much lower self-esteem than those who haven't been bullied. Cyberbullying.us reports that 20 percent of 2,000 middle school cyberbullying victims surveyed admitted to considering suicide as a result of being bullied. Bullying victims were also twice as likely to have attempted suicide.
References
- National Crime Prevention Council; Cyberbullying
- University of South Florida; Cyberbullying: The New Frontier of Bullying
- National Institutes of Health; Depression High Among Youth Victims of School Cyber Bullying; Sept. 2010
- i-SAFE; Cyber Bullying: Statistics and Tips
- Cyberbullying.us; Cyberbullying and Suicide
