RESEARCH

According to National law enforcement leaders, 1 in 3 teens and 1 of 6 preteens have been victims of some form of cyberbullying. Of the 13 million youth affected by cyberbullying, it is estimated that 2 million did not report the incident to anyone. It has been found that many cyberbullies don't know the amount of sufferering they are causing for an individual, because they lack the face to face contact of traditional bullying (Schneir, 2003). Since, cyberbullies can hide behind a screen name, they are often difficult to trace, which makes this type of bullying often easier to get away with.  

Educators and School Counselors

Research has found that the Olweus bully prevention program reduces bullying by half when implememted in school programs. This program consists of establishing a bullying prevention coordinating committee that will establish school wide rules against bullying and develop consequences for the rules being broken and including parents in the process.  School Counselors can become involved by meeting with bullies, those being bullied, and working with parents of students who are involved.  These same techniques can be implemented in the case of cyberbullying.

Parents

Often, youth will not tell their parents about cyberbullying for fear their electronic devices will be taken away. Without the electronic tools that teenagers use to keep in contact these youth worry about social isolation if their parents were to take away these devices (cottle, 2001).  It is important for parents to realize that chat is the number one online activity for teenagers (Roberts & Foehr, 2004). Many adult think purchasing and setting filters on the computer can eliminate cyberbullying, but bullies can use different screen names to get through. It is recommended that parents keep computers in a common area where the computer can be seen while their youth is using it.  Parents should not erase harassing/threatening messages because the police, internet service providers, and telephone companies can often track where they came from.

References

Cottle, T. (2001). Mind fields: Adolescent consciousness in a culture of distraction. New York: Peter Lang.
Roberts, D. & Foehr, U. (2004). Kids and media in America. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Schneier, B. (2003). Beyond fear: Thinking sensibly about security in an uncertain world. New York: Springer Verlag.





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