Cyberbullying and Its Harmful Effects 1

Cyberbullying and Its Harmful Effects

Courtney Voss

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Cyberbullying and Its Harmful Effects 2

Bullying has been an unfortunate aspect of school for students across the world.

Teasing, name-calling, and getting laughed at has become a regular part of the day for

some students. These students are the victims of bullies that roam school grounds

everywhere. Up until the recent surge in new forms of technology, students only had to

deal with bullying at school. Once they got off the bus they were in the comfort of their

own home, away from the bullies that tormented them at school. Now, bullies prey on

their victims through various uses of the internet and cell phones. This new form of

bullying, cyberbullying, “is defined as an individual or group willingly using information

and communication involving electronic technologies to facilitate deliberate and repeated

harassment or threat to another individual or group by sending or posting cruel text

and/or graphics using technological means” (Mason 2008). Students must now deal with

bullying not only at home, but anywhere that our technological world permeates.

Cyberbullying is a serious problem for students because the impact of bullying can now

reach far beyond the classroom causing its possible implications to be even more severe.

Technology’s advances over the past years have made cyberbullying a much more

predominant problem. Many students have access to the internet at home and cell

phones, which increases the amount of cyberbullying. With these resources so available,

“93% of teens 12-17 go online” and “89% of online teens go online from home, and most

of them go online from home most often” (Lenhart 2009). This predominant use of the

internet allows students to contact one another on a regular basis when they are not at

school. By using computers, “a bully can send harassing messages through e-mail or

instant messaging; post obscene, insulting, and slanderous messages in chat rooms or

online bulletin boards; or develop personal Web site to promote and disseminate
Cyberbullying and Its Harmful Effects 3

defamatory content” (Mason 2008). The various forms of bullying via the internet poses

multiple harmful threats to victims. Through the internet, many people can see these

embarrassing messages at once. This total exposure no doubt increases the psychological

impact of bullying. Not only are students using the internet but, “71% of teens have a cell

phone” (Lenhart 2009). This percentage shows that a large number of teens can contact

one another through the use of cell phones, which is a common means for cyberbullying.

Cellular cyberbullying can take the form of threatening phone calls, voicemails, or text

messages. Since cell phones are brought and used everywhere, “the inseparability of a

cell phone from its owner makes an individual more susceptible for being a perpetual

target for victimization” (Mason 2008). Students can constantly be sent text massages

and receive calls that are offensive and harassing which, in turn, increases the amount of

bullying a normal student would encounter. The abundance of technology available to

students has increased the amount of bullying that can occur outside of school, which is

harmful to the victims of bullying.

Cyberbullying has become an increased problem for students across the world and

its harmful effects are damaging our students. With the rates of adolescents using the

internet, it is not a surprise that, “studies have found that 10 to 33% of youth between the

ages of 11 and 19 have been the target of aggression/bullying online, and more than 15%

of youth reported being perpetrators of such behavior” (Swearer 2009). These high

reports of victims and bullies pose problems for teachers as well as students. Teachers

may be unaware of the cyberbullying that is occurring and will not be able to address the

problem. Students are being harassed more often through the use of cyberspace, which

will impact them negatively. Bullying through cyberspace can take many forms. Student
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have reported ways they have been bullied and, “15 % of teens reported having private

material (IM, txt, email) forwarded without permission, 13% had received threatening

messages, 13% said someone had spread a rumor about them online, [and] 6% had

someone post an embarrassing picture of them online without permission” (Lenhart

2009). Not only is cyberbullying readily available, but the sheer number of techniques

that can be applied demonstrate the seriousness of the problem.

Students in the United States are not the only students who are experiencing these

forms of bullying. In a study of Canadian and Chinese students, “the data collected from

Canadian schools show that…about a quarter had been cyberbullied…The data collected

from Chinese schools show that over three fifths had been cyberbullied” (Li 2008).

These statistics show that children across the world are experiencing the harmful effects

of technological advancements. One reason that cyberbullying rates are so high and there

are so many forms is because, “cyberbullying can be anonymous and ‘predators’ in

cyberspace do not have to be physically stronger or bigger than cybervictims” (Li 2008).

In traditional forms of bullying, the bully is usually stronger and bigger than the victim

and that is why they hold more power. Without being in direct physical contact with

another individual, it is much easier to be a bully if you are not built like a traditional

bully. It is also easier to say offensive and harmful things through cyberspace than in

person. The high rates of cyberbullying seen today are worrisome as cyberbullying is a

rather new form of bullying and may grow and emerge as new forms of technology are

created.

The harmful effects of cyberbullying are a cause for concern to parents as well as

educators across the world. Not being able to escape bullying once a student gets home
Cyberbullying and Its Harmful Effects 5

from school can be very upsetting and cause psychosocial problems. These problems can

include, “substance use; involvement in offline victimization and perpetration of

relational, physical and sexual aggression; delinquent peers; a heightened anger

disposition; and poor emotional bond with caregivers” (Swearer 2009). All of these

effects are alarming and need to be addressed by parents and teachers so that they do not

develop into more serious issues, such as suicide. One study of 12-17 year olds found

that “participants do not tell adults about their online experiences” (Juvonen 2008).

Adults need to be on the lookout for signs of distress among children and adolescents that

may be experiencing cyberbullying so that adults can intervene. Negative effects related

to cyberbullying socially and psychologically impact youth, creating a need to find

solutions that halt the spread of cyberbullying.

Although cyber bullying has become an important issue and its negative effects

can be seen, some believe that it is not very harmful. Some teens may be distressed over

cyberbullying, but “some research suggests that significant portions of teens aren’t

bothered by online harassment or bullying” (Lenhart 2009). A possible for explanation

for this research could be that since cyberbullying is not face-to-face, the impact may be

internalized as less malicious.

There are many solutions to the problem of cyberbullying that parents, teachers,

and students can use. One very simple strategy for parents is, “to talk with their kids

about the responsible and respectable use of technology” (Swearer 2009). By giving

children a basic understanding of proper cell phone etiquette hopefully some simple

problems will be solved. Parents also need to stay involved with their child’s use of the

internet and cell phone. Children need to know “it is a privilege to have these things,
Cyberbullying and Its Harmful Effects 6

which can be taken away” and “parents should have access to their children’s MySpace

account and to their e-mail accounts” (Swearer 2009). By being involved in their child’s

life in cyberspace, parents can be aware of bullying situations when they arise and can

offer help and advice to their child. Schools and teachers can implement a variety of

programs and policies that can help reduce the amount of cyberbullying. For example,

“many schools have developed policies that allow cell phone use only before and after

school” (Swearer 2009). This strategy will reduce the amount of cyberbullying that

occurs while at school. Although students are only at school for a limited amount of

time, this policy will lessen the amount of cyberbullying a student could encounter.

Schools can also incorporate anti-bullying programs into the classroom. A great example

of a program that can be used is the Stories of Us Bullying Prevention Program. This

program contains “films that were built from the ground up with groups of American

students who collaborated in brainstorming the subject and developing the scripts”

(Stories of Us 2009). The authenticity of these films, along with the resources for

teachers and parents make Stories of Us a quality program to implement in schools.

These films will help students understand that they are not alone in their experiences and

that they should see help if they are being bullied. Victims have also created strategies to

avoid cyberbullying such as blocking the bully online, logging off the site they are using,

changing a screen name or email, among other things (Hinduja 2009). These effective

strategies remove the victims from the situation where they are being bullied. By giving

students the tools to avoid cyberbullying, they will not have to deal with the detrimental

effects.

I believe that by addressing cyberbullying in school and at home that its harmful
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effects can be lessened. I do agree with the idea of parents being involved in their child’s

internet use, but to a certain extent. Parents should ask about and monitor their child’s

use occasionally but should not invade their child’s privacy completely. I also believe

that schools need to address this problem. Since cyberbullying happens mostly off school

grounds, schools may believe that they do not need to talk about it in class. This is not

the case though, as many effects of cyberbullying will affect a child while they are at

school. I have seen the videos that are a part of the Stories of Us curriculum and believe

that they would be very influential in a middle-school classroom. They are from the

perspective of students and show how each person feels. The movies also incorporate

forms of cyberbullying, such as posting pictures on the internet, texting, and conniving

ways to use a phone on the speaker function. By informing parents, teachers and students

about the harmful effects of cyberbullying, the abundance of it and many problems

associated with it can diminish over time.

Works Cited
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Hinduja, S., Patchin, J. (2009). Research. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved

from http://www.cyberbullying.us/research.php

Juvonen, J., Gross, E. Extending the schools grounds? Bullying experiences in

cyberspace. Journal of School Health 78 (9).

Lenhart, A. (2009). Cyberbullying: what the research is telling us… PewInternet

http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2009/18-Cyberbullying-What-the-

research-is-telling-us.aspx

Li, Q. (2008). A cross-cultural comparison of adolescents’ experience related to

cyberbullying. Educational Research 50(3). Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Mason, K. (2008). Cyberbullying: a preliminary assessment for school personnel.

Psychology in the Schools, 45(4). Retrieved from www.interscience.wiley.com

Swearer, S., Espelage, D., Napolitano, S. (2009). Bullying Prevention and Intervention.

New York: The Guilford Press.

Stories of Us. (2009). Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R). Stories of Us

(USA). Retrieved from http://www.storiesofus.com/home.html