Cyberbullying Statistics: What the Facts Mean

for You
These days, it's difficult to find anyone, young or old, without personal ties to the
world-wide web. Your kids may chat with their friends online more than they chat in
person. And you may even have a Facebook profile toomuch to your teen's dismay.
While online connections are often a harmless way to stay in touch, cyberbullying
statistics reveal a darker side to the Internet. It has become a place where kids can be
ruthless with words, and even torment each other, protected by online aliases and the
lack of any authority who's responsible to intervene. Even children that are technically
too young to participate are affected by online bullying; a May 2011 study by Consumer
Reports indicates that 7.5 million U.S. Facebook users are under the age of 13, the age
cutoff for the popular social site.
Bullying Victims
If you think cyberbullying doesn't affect your child, think again. A survey by i-Safe Inc.,
an independent e-safety firm, found 58 percent of children reported that someone has
said something mean or hurtful to them online, and one in four have had it happen
more than once. The numbers are clear: most kids have faced some type of
cyberbullying.
Kids sometimes stay hush-hush about bullying to parents, so it's important that you
look for telltale signs. Julie Emmer, Director of Outpatient and Clinical Education
Services for Seminole Behavioral Healthcare, warns parents that changes in their child's
behavior, including depression, new anxieties or a reluctance to use the computer could
be red flags of online harassment. Pay attention to your child's behavior, and talk to her
if you notice bullying victim symptoms.
In 2010, Phoebe Prince took her life at age 15 after being severely bullied online by a
group of students at her high school, making her the most recent in a slew of high-
profile suicides stemming from bullying incidents. Victims who survive the online
ridicule often suffer from severe depression, panic attacks and other stress-induced
consequences later in life.
Online Bullies
When it comes to cyberbullying, it's often the victims who rightfully get the most
attention. However, pinpointing perpetrators' motives could shed light on why children
tease each other. i-Safe points out that 53 percent of kids have said something mean
or hurtful to someone else online, meaning more than half have participated in online
bullying. Chances are, your child has too.
It's hard to catch your kid in the act since much of cyberbullying is done anonymously.
The anonymity afforded by the Internet makes kids often feel bolder, acting out in ways
in cyberspace that they never would in the real world. Watching for signs that your teen
is a bully gives you a better idea of her online activities. According to Emmer, an online
bully typically has a hot temper, has superiority issues, struggles with conflict resolution
and spends time with peers who also bully.
If Your Child is the Victim
Monitor her online activities. Armed with cyberbullying statistics and information, bring up the subject
with your kid. If she's being bullied online she might feel embarrassed or awkward, so try asking the right
questions. Ask her what websites she visits and if you can check them out too. If she doesn't want you to
see her online actions, it's a red flag.
Help her make new friends through other avenues. "If possible, get your kid involved early in
overlapping social circles or a variety of activities so that their sense of social stock is not tied to one
particular group or one activity," suggests Dr. Jerry Weichman, clinical psychologist and adolescent
specialist of the Hoag Neurosciences Institute.
Involve the proper authorities, if necessary. If the taunting escalates from a few mean words to constant
harassment (35 percent of kids have been threatened online, according to i-Safe) it's time to involve law
enforcement. While anonymous bullying can be difficult to track, helping your child find and save any
online correspondence with a bully gives you the information you need to end it. Contacting the
administration of some websites to report abuse and have the users banned is another option.

If Your Child is the Bully
Move your computer to a central location. If your child's the perpetrator, it's a difficult position for you
as a parent. You want to protect her but also make the bullying stop. One of the best ways to monitor your
child or teen's behavior is to move her computer to a central, non-private location in your home so she
doesn't have the luxury of using the computer without you peeking over her shoulder.
Sign up for accounts on the sites she frequents. Check out the sites your child visits and sign up for
accounts yourself with or without her knowledge. Keep an eye on how she interacts with other users and
talk to her if you notice unacceptable or threatening behavior.
Talk to your child about the consequences of her actions. She might not realize that being part of a
flame war on a forum or making fun of a status on Facebook is hurtful and even punishable by law. If the
bullying continues, consider it a sign that she's not mature enough to use the Internet responsibly, and take
away her online priveledges.
Whether you're the parent of the bully or the bullied, it's in your power to stop the
behavior and protect your child. By keeping tabs on your child's online behavior and the
latest cyberbullying statistics, you'll know what's going on in the world of Facebook,
MySpace and Twitter to react appropriately. Getting in tune with your teen's online
habits now can save the hurt, shame, and punishment that stem from cyberbullying.

School Bullying
School bullying refers to all types of bullying done on school property, whether it is peer-to-peer bullying, bullying of
younger children by older children, or bullying in which a teacher is either a victim or a culprit. Keep reading for more
information on school bullying.



According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly a third of all students aged 12 - 18 reported having
been bullied at school in 2007, some almost daily. This article gives a general background on school bullying.
Types of School Bullying
There are different categories of school bullying, and some of the categories overlap. Here are some of the most
important categories that are frequently discussed:
How Many Bullies
Pack bullying is bullying undertaken by a group. The 2009 Wesley Report on bullying prepared by an
Australia-based group, found that pack bullying was more prominent in high schools and characteristically
lasted longer that bullying undertaken by individuals. Pack bullying may be physical bullying or emotional
bullying and be perpetrated in person or in cyberspace. In person, it can take place in schoolyards, school
hallways, sports fields and gymnasiums, classrooms, and on the school bus.
Individual bullying is one-on-one bullying that may take place either in person or online, as well as being
physical bullying or emotional bullying. The Wesley Report found it to be more prevalent in elementary
schools. It can take place everywhere that pack bullying can, and also in smaller areas into which a pack
can't fit, such as bathrooms.
Mode of School Bullying
Physical bullying is bullying that takes the form of physical abuse, such as pushing, shoving, hitting, fighting,
spitting, and tripping. Threats of physical harm and attempts to force people to act in ways they would
prefer not to are also included.
Emotional bullying is bullying that involves factors other than physical interaction, such as insults,
derogatory remarks, name calling, and teasing. Also included are attempts to ostracize the victim, such as
being left out or ignored, which is sometimes referred to as social bullying, as distinguished from verbal
bullying. Emotional bullying could also take the form of purposely misplacing or hiding someone's
belongings. Emotional bullying can be done in person or through cyberbullying.
Medium of School Bullying
Face-to-face bullying is bullying in which students confront each other in person.
Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place online, through either email, chat rooms, social networking
services, text messages, instant messages, website postings, blogs, or a combination of means. Cyberbullies
may conceal their identity so that their victim experiences an anonymous attack. The content of
cyberbullying can consist of all of the types of content mentioned in emotional bullying above, including
posting insulting and derogatory comments about someone or sending such comments to someone; sending
mean or threatening messages; gossiping about someone online including posting sensitive or private
information; impersonating someone in order to cast that person in a bad light; and excluding someone
from an online page or group. Unwanted contact, also known as harassment, is another form of
cyberbullying.
Specific Targets of School Bullying
Homophobic bullying is sometimes distinguished because it has a particular target population.
Bullying of students with disabilities is another type of bullying with a focused target population.
Racist bullying is a third type of focused bullying that targets people of a specific race or cultural.
Religious bullying targets people who have specific religious beliefs.
Facts About School Bullying
The NCES report reveals that:
There is noticeably more bullying in middle school (grades 6, 7, and 8) than in senior high school
Emotional bullying is the most prevalent type of bullying, with pushing/shoving/tripping/spitting on someone
being second
Cyberbullying is - for the middle grade levels - the least prominent type of bullying, but it is greater in the
last three years of high school than in grades 6 - 9
Most school bullying occurs inside the school, a lesser amount on school property, and even less on the
school bus. The least occurs in other areas
Middle school students, and particularly 6
th
graders, were most likely to be bullied on the bus
Sixth graders were the most likely students to sustain an injury from bullying, with middle schoolers more
likely to be injured than high school students and the percentage going down every grade from 6 to 12
Victims of bullying display a range of responses, even many years later, such as:
1. Low self-esteem
2. Difficulty in trusting others
3. Lack of assertiveness
4. Aggression
5. Difficulty controlling anger
6. Isolation