June is National Internet Safety Month and one prominent issue surrounding Internet safety is the increase in cyberbullying. Primary concerns draw attention to the continuity of bullying outside of the school setting, affording children no respite or refuge. Some experts believe that until teens step into the resolution process, cyberbullying will never be eradicated.
Cyberbullying Statistics
In 2004, i-SAFE conducted a nationwide survey on 1,500 students in grades 4-8 about the issue of cyberbullying. The results of the survey were startling. Whether via instant messaging; e-mail; chat rooms or social networking websites, 42% of children reported being bullied while online. Fifty-eight percent of children never confided in a parent or adult about the bullying.
In 2007, the National Crime Prevention Council, NCPC, commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online survey that involved 824 middle and high school students throughout the country. Students between the ages of 13 and 17 years submitted answers to set questions about the issue of cyberbullying.
The results showed that cyberbullying appeared most prevalent between the ages of 15 and 16 years and that 43% of students reported experiencing some form of cyberbullying in the past year. Forty-seven percent of teens believe that cyberbullies don't perceive any "tangible consequences" to cyberbullying and 45% said that bullies cyberbully because they believe that they won't get caught.
Cyberbullying and Teen Mentors
The Cyberbullying Research Center is directed by Dr. Sameer Hinduja of the Florida Atlantic University and Dr. Justin Patchin of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Having studied cyberbullying since 2002, Cyberbullying.us was launched in 2005, "as a means to further their mission of bringing sound research about cyberbullying to those who can benefit most from it."
In addition to the website, the doctors are co-authors of the book, Bullying beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying (Corwin Press, 2008), which has won rave reviews from the NCPC and Tina Meier, a cyberbullying activist and the mother of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who committed suicide after experiencing cyberbullying first hand.
Both Dr. Hinduja and Dr. Patchin believe that using teen role models for prevention to intervention is "essential in any comprehensive and coordinated community response to cyberbullying." According to Dr. Hinduja, peer mentoring involves employing older students to change how younger students think about "harrassment or mistreatment of others in certain situations."
Aside from teaching respect and acceptance, Dr. Hinduja writes that the goal is to teach kids how to take responsibility for the problem and how to work together towards a resolution. Promoting positive peer relations the doctors believe, "can drastically affect the quality of the school environment by shaping the climate in which students and educators work, learn, and act."
The Cyberbullying Research Center presents a solid foundation on how to approach peer mentoring with the Anti-Cyberbullying Peer Mentoring Program. The center also offers valuable information including free downloads of parent-teen contracts; cyberbullying incident tracking forms and information on how to preserve cyberbullying evidence.
The Internet has significantly changed the dynamics of bullying. Social networking sites such as Facebook now allow cyberbullies to access a victim's home 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. Unless cyberbullies are taken to task consistently, cyberbullying will continue to escalate.
With peer pressure a dominating force in any teenager's life, turning negative into positive peer pressure seems an incredibly logical step towards finding a comprehensive solution.
Sources:
Cyberbullying Research Center (accessed June 21, 2010).
Moessner, Chris. Cyberbullying. Trends and Tudes, Harrisinteractive.com, April 2007 (accessed June 21, 2010).
Isafe.org. Cyber Bullying: Statistics and Tips (accessed June 21, 2010).
Elizabeth Batt - Elizabeth Batt is a former large animal nurse, certified NREMT, lover of equines and conservationist.
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