Cyberbullying: A Brief Review

IntroductionIn a world of Internet dependency and constantly evolving technology, today's youth are becoming more comfortable with having endless information and instant communication at their fingertips. It is estimated that 93% of adolescents, ages 12 to 17 years, use the Internet and 75% of this population have their own cell phone (1). Twenty-five percent of those having a cell phone use it for social media (2). This group averages 3,364 text messages a month, with girls sending and receiving 2.5 times as many texts as boys on a daily basis (1). Adolescents spend an average of 10 hours a day using various forms of media (3). Even though this access allows an increase in media skills and constant social interaction, there are also negatives to this type of access, one being cyberbullying.CyberbullyingCyberbullying has been defined as "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text" (4). The concept of cyberbullying has become more popular over the past decade as teens continue to use various forms of media to harm others. In the United States, 16.2% of students reported being electronically bullied, either through email, text messages, chats rooms, or social media (5). Surveys have shown that females are twice as likely as boys to be the victim of cyberbullying (5). Conversely, 10% to 20% of adolescents across the world admit to bullying others (3). Studies have shown that somewhere between 33% and 75% of those victims of cyberbullying are also bullied at school (6).Cyberbullying and traditional bullying are similar in many aspects, seeing as both involve an exchange of hurtful words and or threats from a bully to a victim. The main differences in the two forms of bullying are that cyberbullying allows the bully to remain anonymous, lacks supervision from adults, and victims are extremely accessible at all times, which ultimately results in decreased inhibitions and overall more hurtful exchanges (7). Cyberbullying is somewhat more concerning than traditional bullying because the victims are unable to find a feeling of safety when going home, seeing as media is available at all times and can reach them wherever they go. It is thought that the victims of cyberbullying actually suffer more and have more negative effects due to the lack of escape (8). This form of bullying is rarely punished, seeing as most of the aggressors are anonymous online and law enforcement does not typically intervene in such situations unless there is immediate concern for one's safety (8).Even though all victims of bullying may experience negative outcomes, research suggests that the effects of cyberbullying may be more severe and have a much greater impact on its victims (3). Overall, self-esteem is lower in these victims compared to non-victims (9). These individuals display many negative psychological issues, including depression, anxiety, anger, and worry (7). Cyberbullying victims typically obtain less sleep and eat less than non-victims (3). Studies show that school performance declines in these students, resulting in a drop in grades, increased absences, poorer concentration, and increased behavior issues while at school (7). Those who are being bullied through electronic means are eight times more likely to carry a weapon to school than those students who experience no bullying (1). Many studies have shown that the discussed negative effects had a more profound presentation in those students who did not know the identity of their attacker (10). Even though the psychological effects are significant in these victims, there is no physical harm with cyberbullying (11).Intervention and preventionWith the growing numbers of cyberbullying victims, much attention has been given to intervention and prevention of this problem. Participation in social media sites and willingness to give personal information online are two risk factors for these attacks (12). Studies have suggested that, to prevent children from becoming victims of cyberbullying, parents need to be educated about the types of technologies that are being used by their children, have open discussions with their children about what they do when online, have privacy settings that monitor/shield what their children are able to access, and actually supervise their children while online (3). …