Cyberbullying

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"Cyberbully" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Cyberbully (film). For the Wikipedia guidance essay, see Wikipedia:Cyberbullying.

This article may contain original research. Please improve itby verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. (April 2011) This article or section may contain previously unpublished synthesis of published material that conveys ideas notattributable to the original sources. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (April 2011)
Cyberbullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner. As it has become more common in society, particularly among young people, legislation and awareness campaigns have arisen to combat it.
Contents
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1 Definition

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1.1 Legal definition 1.2 Cyberbullying vs. cyberstalking 1.3 Methods used 1.4 Growing awareness

2 Law enforcement: cyberbullying, cyberstalking and electronic harassment

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2.1 Schools 2.2 Protection for victims of any age

3 Behavior

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3.1 Children and adolescents 3.2 Adults

4 Research

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4.1 Australia 4.2 Canada 4.3 European Union 4.4 Finland 4.5 United States

4.5.1 2000 4.5.2 2004 4.5.3 2005 4.5.4 2006 4.5.5 2007 4.5.6 2008 4.5.7 2011

5 Comparison to traditional bullying 6 Legislation against cyberbullying

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6.1 United States 6.2 Research on preventative legislation

7 Harmful effects

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7.1 Intimidation, emotional damage, suicide 7.2 Lost revenue, threatened earnings, defamation

8 Adults and the workplace

8.1 Recognition of adult and workplace cyberbullying tactics

9 Awareness campaigns

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9.1 Spain 9.2 United Kingdom 9.3 United States

10 Community support 11 In media and pop culture 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links

Definition
Legal definition
Cyberbullying is defined in legal glossaries as

actions that use information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm another or others.

use of communication technologies for the intention of harming another person use of internet service and mobile technologies such as web pages and discussion groups as well as instant messaging or SMS text messaging with the intention of harming another person.

Examples of what constitutes cyberbullying include communications that seek to intimidate, control, manipulate, put down, falsely discredit, or humiliate the recipient. The actions are deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior intended to harm another. Cyberbullying has been defined by The National Crime Prevention Council: When the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person."[1][2] A cyberbully may be a person whom the target knows or an online stranger. A cyberbully may be anonymous and may solicit involvement of other people online who do not even know the target. This is known as a 'digital pile-on.'[3]

Cyberbullying vs. cyberstalking

Further information: Cyberstalking The practice of cyberbullying is not limited to children and, while the behavior is identified by the same definition when practiced by adults, the distinction in age groups sometimes refers to the abuse as cyberstalking or cyberharassment when perpetrated by adults toward adults. Common tactics used by cyberstalkers are performed in public forums, social media or online information sites and are intended to threaten a victim's earnings, employment, reputation, or safety. Behaviors may include encouraging others to harass the victim and trying to affect a victim's online participation. Many cyberstalkers try to damage the reputation of their victim and turn other people against them. Cyberstalking may include false accusations, monitoring, making threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sex, or gathering information in order to harass. A repeated pattern of such actions and harassment against a target by an adult constitutes cyberstalking.Cyberstalking often features linked patterns of online and offline behavior. There are consequences of law in offline stalking and online stalking, and cyber-stalkers can be put in jail.[4]Cyberstalking is a form of cyberbullying.[citation needed]

Methods used
Manuals to educate the public, teachers and parents summarize, "Cyberbullying is being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material using a cell phone or the internet." Research, legislation and education in the field are ongoing. Basic definitions and guidelines to help recognize and cope with what is regarded as abuse of electronic communications have been identified.

Cyberbullying involves repeated behavior with intent to harm and repeated nature

Cyberbullying is perpetrated through Harassment, Cyberstalking, Denigration (sending or posting cruel rumors and falsehoods to damage reputation and friendships), Impersonation, Exclusion (intentionally and cruelly excluding someone from an online group)[5]

Cyberbullying can be as simple as continuing to send e-mails or text messages harassing someone who has said they want no further contact with the sender. It may also include public actions such as repeated threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels (i.e., hate speech) or defamatory false accusations), ganging up on a victim by making the person the subject of ridicule in online forums, hacking into or vandalizing sites about a person, and posting false statements as fact aimed a discrediting or humiliating a targeted person. Cyberbullying could be limited to posting rumors about a person on the internet with the intention of bringing about hatred in others' minds or convincing others to dislike or participate in online denigration of a target. It may go to the extent of personally identifying victims of crime and publishing materials severely defaming or humiliating them.[6] Cyberbullies may disclose victims' personal data (e.g. real name, home address, or workplace/schools) at websites or forums or may use impersonation, creating fake accounts, comments or sites posing as their target for the purpose of publishing material in their name that defames, discredits or ridicules them. This can leave the cyberbully anonymous which can make it difficult for the offender to be caught or punished for their behavior. Though, not all cyberbullies use anonymity. Text or instant messages and emails between friends can also be cyberbullying if what is said or displayed is hurtful to the participants. Some cyberbullies may also send threatening and harassing emails, instant messages or texts to the victims. Others post rumors or gossip and instigate others to dislike and gang up on the target.

Growing awareness
Cyberbullying has subsequently been defined as "when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person".[7] Other researchers use similar language to describe the phenomenon.[8][9]

Law enforcement: cyberbullying, cyberstalking and electronic harassment

A majority of states have laws that explicitly include electronic forms of communication within stalking or harassment laws.[10][11] Most law enforcement agencies have cyber-crime units and often Internet stalking is treated with more seriousness than reports of physical stalking.[12] Help and resources can be searched by State or area.

Schools

The safety of schools is increasingly becoming a focus of state legislative action. There was an increase in cyberbullying enacted legislation between 2006-2010.[13] Initiatives and curriclulum requirements also exist in the UK (the Ofsted eSafety guidance) and Australia (Overarching Learning Outcome 13). In 2012, a group of teens in New Haven, Connecticut developed an app to help fight bullying. Called "Back Off Bully" (BOB), the web app is an anonymous resource for computer, smart phone or iPad. When someone witnesses or is the victim of bullying, they can immediately report the incident. The app asks questions about time, location and how the bullying is happening. As well as providing positive action and empowerment over an incident, the reported information helps by going to a data base where administrators study it. Common threads are spotted so others can intervene and break the bully's pattern.[14] BOB, the brainchild of fourteen teens in a design class, is being considered as standard operating procedure at schools across the state.

Protection for victims of any age

There are laws that only address online harassment of children or focus on child predators as well as laws that protect adult cyberstalking victims, or victims of any age. Currently, there are 45 cyberstalking (and related) laws on the books. While some sites specialize in laws that protect victims age 18 and under, Working to Halt Online Abuse is a help resource containing a list of current and pending cyberstalking-related United States federal and state laws.[15] It also lists those states that do not have laws yet and related laws from other countries. The Global Cyber Law Database (GCLD) aims to become the most comprehensive and authoritative source of cyber laws for all countries.[16]

Behavior
Children and adolescents
Kids report being mean to each other online beginning as young as 2nd grade. According to research, boys initiate mean online activity earlier than girls do. However, by middle school, girls are more likely to engage in cyberbullying than boys.[17] Whether the bully is male or female, his or her purpose is to intentionally embarrass others, harass, intimidate, or make threats online to one another. This bullying occurs via email, text messaging, posts to blogs, and web sites. The National Crime Prevention Association lists tactics often used by teen cyberbullies. [18]

Pretend they are other people online to trick others Spread lies and rumors about victims Trick people into revealing personal information Send or forward mean text messages

Post pictures of victims without their consent

Studies in the psychosocial effects of cyberspace have begun to monitor the impacts cyberbullying may have on the victims, and the consequences it may lead to. Consequences of cyberbullying are multifaceted, and affect online and offline behavior. Research on adolescents reported that changes in the victims' behavior as a result of cyberbullying could be positive. Victims "created a cognitive pattern of bullies, which consequently helped them to recognize aggressive people."[19]However, the Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace abstract reports critical impacts in almost all of the respondents, taking the form of lower self-esteem, loneliness, disillusionment, and distrust of people. The more extreme impacts were self-harm. Children have killed each other and committed suicide after having been involved in a cyberbullying incident.[20] The most current research in the field defines cyberbullying as "an aggressive, intentional act or behaviour that is carried out by a group or an individual repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself" (Smith & Slonje, 2007, p. 249). [21] Though the use of sexual remarks and threats are sometimes present in cyberbullying, it is not the same as sexual harassment, typically occurs among peers, and does not necessarily involve sexual predators.

Adults
Stalking online has criminal consequences just as physical stalking. A target's understanding of why cyberstalking is happening is helpful to remedy and take protective action to restore remedy. Cyberstalking is an extension of physical stalking.[22] Among factors that motivate stalkers are:envy, pathological obsession (professional or sexual), unemployment or failure with own job or life; intention to intimidate and cause others to feel inferior; the stalker is delusional and believes he/she "knows" the target; the stalker wants to instill fear in a person to justify his/her status; belief they can get away with it (anonymity). [23] UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line theorizes that bullies harass victims in order to make up for inadequacies in their own lives.[24] The US federal cyberstalking law is designed to prosecute people for using electronic means to repeatedly harass or threaten someone online. There are resources dedicated to assisting adult victims deal with cyberbullies legally and effectively. One of the steps recommended is to record everything and contact police.[25] [26]

Research
Australia
The nation-wide Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Survey (Cross et al., 2009)[27] assessed cyberbullying experiences among 7,418 students. Rates of cyber-bullying increased with age, with 4.9% of students in Year 4 reporting cyberbullying compared to 7.9% in year nine. Cross et al., (2009) reported

that rates of bullying and harassing others were lower, but also increased with age. Only 1.2% of Year 4 students reported cyber-bullying others compared to 5.6% of Year 9 students.

Canada
Similarly, a Canadian study found:

23% of middle-schoolers surveyed had been bullied by e-mail 35% in chat rooms 41% by text messages on their cell phones Fully 41% did not know the identity of the perpetrators.

European Union
Reporting on the results from a meta analysis from European Union countries, Hasebrink et al. (2009)[28] estimated (via median results) that approximately 18% of European young people had been "bullied/harassed/stalked" via the internet and mobile phones. Cyber-harassment rates for young people across the EU member states ranged from 10% to 52%.

Finland
In addition to the current research, Sourander et al. (2010) conducted a population-based cross-sectional study that took place in Finland. The authors of this study took the self-reports of 2215 Finish adolescents between the ages of 13 to 16 years old about cyberbullying and cybervictimization during the past 6 months. It was found that, amongst the total sample, 4.8% were cybervictims only, 7.4% were cyberbullies only, and 5.4% were cyberbully-victims. Cybervictim-only status was associated with a variety of factors, including emotional and peer problems, sleeping difficulties, and feeling unsafe in school. Cyberbully-only status was associated with factors such as hyperactivity and low prosocial behavior, as well as conduct problems. Cyberbully-victim status was associated with all of the risk factors that were associated with both cybervictim-only status and cyberbully-only status. The authors of this study were able to conclude that cyberbullying as well as cybervictimization is associated not only with psychiatric issues, but psychosomatic issues. Many adolescents in the study reported headaches or difficulty sleeping. The authors believe that their results indicate a greater need for new ideas on how to prevent cyberbullying and what to do when it occurs. It is clearly a world-wide problem that needs to be taken seriously.[29]

United States
2000
A survey by the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire in 2000 found that 6% of the young people in the survey had experienced some form of harassment including threats and negative rumours and 2% had suffered distressing harassment.[30]

2004
In September 2006, ABC News[31] reported on a 2004 survey of 1,500 students between grades 48 which found:

42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once. 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five had had it happen more than once. 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages. 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once.

58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.

2005
The Youth Internet Safety Survey-2, conducted by the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire in 2005, found that 9% of the young people in the survey had experienced some form of harassment.[30] The survey was a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,500 youth 1017 years old. One third reported feeling distressed by the incident, with distress being more likely for younger respondents and those who were the victims of aggressive harassment (including being telephoned, sent gifts, or visited at home by the harasser).[32]Compared to youth not harassed online, victims are more likely to have social problems. On the other hand, youth who harass others are more likely to have problems with rule breaking and aggression.[33] Significant overlap is seen youth who are harassed are significantly more likely to also harass others. Hinduja and Patchin completed a study in the summer of 2005 of approximately 1,500 Internet-using adolescents and found that over one-third of youth reported being victimized online, and over 16% of respondents admitted to cyber-bullying others. While most of the instances of cyber-bullying involved relatively minor behavior (41% were disrespected, 19% were called names), over 12% were physically threatened and about 5% were scared for their safety. Notably, fewer than 15% of victims told an adult about the incident.[34] Additional research by Hinduja and Patchin in 2007[35] found that youth who report being victims of cyberbullying also experience stress or strain that is related to offline problem behaviors such as running away from home, cheating on a school test, skipping school, or using alcohol or marijuana. The authors acknowledge that both of these studies provide only preliminary information about the nature and consequences of online bullying, due to the methodological challenges associated with an online survey. According to a 2005 survey by the National Children's Home charity and Tesco Mobile[36] of 770 youth between the ages of 11 and 19, 20% of respondents revealed that they had been bullied via electronic

means. Almost three-quarters (73%) stated that they knew the bully, while 26% stated that the offender was a stranger. 10% of responders indicated that another person has taken a picture and/or video of them via a cellular phone camera, consequently making them feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, or threatened. Many youths are not comfortable telling an authority figure about their cyber-bullying victimization for fear their access to technology will be taken from them; while 24% and 14% told a parent or teacher respectively, 28% did not tell anyone while 41% told a friend.[36]

2006
A 2006 survey by Harris Interactive[37] reported:

43% of U.S. teens having experienced some form of cyber-bullying in the past year.

2007
In 2007, Debbie Heimowitz, a Stanford University master's student, created Adina's Deck, a film based on Stanford accredited research. She worked in focus groups for ten weeks in three schools to learn about the problem of cyber-bullying in Northern California. The findings determined that over 60% of students had been cyber-bullied and were victims of cyber-bullying. The film is now being used in classrooms nationwide as it was designed around learning goals pertaining to problems that students had understanding the topic. The middle school of Megan Meier is reportedly using the film as a solution to the crisis in their town.

2008
In the summer of 2008, researchers Sameer Hinduja (Florida Atlantic University) and Justin Patchin (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) published a book on cyber-bullying that summarized the current state of cyber-bullying research. (Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying).[38] Their research documents that cyber-bullying instances have been increasing over the last several years. They also report findings from the most recent study of cyber-bullying among middleschool students. Using a random sample of approximately 2000 middle-school students from a large school district in the southern United States, about 10% of respondents had been cyber-bullied in the previous 30 days while over 17% reported being cyber-bullied at least once in their lifetime.[38] While these rates are slightly lower than some of the findings from their previous research, Hinduja and Patchin point out that the earlier studies were predominantly conducted among older adolescents and Internet samples. That is, older youth use the Internet more frequently and are more likely to experience cyber-bullying than younger children.[9][34][35]

2011

Distribution of cyberbullying venues used by young people in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control

The National Crime Prevention Council reported in 2011 that cyber-bullying is a problem that affects almost half of all American teens.[39]

Comparison to traditional bullying

Certain characteristics inherent in online technologies increase the likelihood that they will be exploited for deviant purposes.[9] Unlike physical bullying, electronic bullies can remain virtually anonymous using temporary email accounts, pseudonyms in chat rooms, instant messaging programs, cell-phone text messaging, and other Internet venues to mask their identity; this perhaps frees them from normative and social constraints on their behavior. Additionally, electronic forums often lack supervision. While chat hosts regularly observe the dialog in some chat rooms in an effort to police conversations and evict offensive individuals, personal messages sent between users (such as electronic mail or text messages) are viewable only by the sender and the recipient, thereby outside the regulatory reach of such authorities. In addition, when teenagers know more about computers and cellular phones than their parents or guardians, they are therefore able to operate the technologies without concern that a parent will discover their experience with bullying (whether as a victim or offender). Another factor is the inseparability of a cellular phone from its owner, making that person a perpetual target for victimization. Users often need to keep their phone turned on for legitimate purposes, which provides the opportunity for those with malicious intentions to engage in persistent unwelcome behavior such as harassing telephone calls or threatening and insulting statements via the cellular phones tex t messaging capabilities. Cyberbullying thus penetrates the walls of a home, traditionally a place where victims could seek refuge from other forms of bullying. Compounding this infiltration into the home life of the cyberbully victim is the unique way in which the internet can "create simultaneous sensations of

exposure (the whole world is watching) and alienation (no one understands)."[40] For youth who experience shame or self-hatred, this effect is dangerous because it can lead to extreme self isolation. Moreover, bullies can gang up on their victims on electronic pages more efficiently than they do in traditional bullying, since there is no limit to the number of people who can join in, following a bullying statement.[41] One possible advantage for victims of cyberbullying over traditional bullying is that they may sometimes be able to avoid it simply by avoiding the site/chat room in question. Email addresses and phone numbers can be changed; in addition, most e-mail accounts now offer services that will automatically filter out messages from certain senders before they even reach the inbox, and phones offer similar caller ID functions. However, this does not protect against all forms of cyberbullying; publishing of defamatory material about a person on the internet is extremely difficult to prevent and once it is posted, millions of people can potentially download it before it is removed. Some perpetrators may post victims' photos, or victims' edited photos like defaming captions or pasting victims' faces on nude bodies. Examples of famous forums for disclosing personal data or photos to "punish" the "enemies" include the Hong Kong Golden Forum, Live Journal, and more recently JuicyCampus. Despite policies that describe cyberbullying as a violation of the terms of service, many social networking Web sites have been used to that end.[42]

Legislation against cyberbullying

Main article: Cyberstalking legislation

United States
Legislation geared at penalizing cyberbullying has been introduced in a number of U.S. states including New York, Missouri, Rhode Island and Maryland. At least seven states passed laws against digital harassment in 2007. Dardenne Prairie of Springfield, Missouri, passed a city ordinance making online harassment a misdemeanor. The city of St. Charles, Missouri has passed a similar ordinance. Missouri is among other states where lawmakers are pursuing state legislation, with a task forces expected to have cyberbullying laws drafted and implemented.[43] In June, 2008, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) proposed a federal law that would criminalize acts of cyberbullying.[44] Lawmakers are seeking to address cyberbullying with new legislation because there's currently no specific law on the books that deals with it. A fairly new federal cyberstalking law might address such acts, according to Parry Aftab, but no one has been prosecuted under it yet. The proposed federal law would make it illegal to use electronic means to "coerce, intimidate, harass or cause other substantial emotional distress."

In August 2008, the California state legislature passed one of the first laws in the country to deal directly with cyberbullying. The legislation, Assembly Bill 86 2008, gives school administrators the authority to discipline students for bullying others offline or online.[45] This law took effect, January 1, 2009.[46] A recent ruling first seen in the UK determined that it is possible for an Internet Service Provider(ISP) to be liable for the content of sites which it hosts, setting a precedent that any ISP should treat a notice of complaint seriously and investigate it immediately.[47] 18 U.S.C. 875(c) criminalizes the making of threats via Internet.

Research on preventative legislation

Researchers suggest that programs be put in place for prevention of cyberbullying. These programs would be incorporated into school curricula and would include online safety and instruction on how to use the Internet properly.[48] This could teach the victim proper methods of potentially avoiding the cyberbully, such as blocking messages or increasing the security on their computer.[48] Within this suggested school prevention model, even in a perfect world, not one crime can be stopped fully. That is why it is suggested that within this prevention method, effective coping strategies should be introduced and adopted. As with any crime, people learn to cope with what has happened, and the same goes for cyberbullying. People can adopt coping strategies to combat future cyberbullying events. An example of a coping strategy would be a social support group composed of various victims of cyberbullying.[48] That could come together and share experiences, with a formal speaker leading the discussion. Something like a support group can allow students to share their stories, and allows that feeling of them being alone to be removed. Teachers should be involved in all prevention educational models, as they are essentially the "police" of the classroom. Most cyberbullying often goes unreported as the victim feels nothing can be done to help in their current situation.[48] However, if given the proper tools with preventative measures and more power in the classroom, teachers can be of assistance to the problem of cyber-bullying. If the parent, teacher, and victim can work together, a possible solution or remedy can be found.[48] There have been many legislative attempts to facilitate the control of bullying and cyberbullying. The problem is due to the fact that some existing legislation is incorrectly thought to be tied to bullying and cyberbullying (terms such as libel and slander). The problem is they do not directly apply to it nor define it as its own criminal behavior.[49] Anti-cyberbullying advocates even expressed concern about the broad scope of applicability of some of the bills attempted to be passed.[50] In the United States, attempts were made to pass legislation against cyberbullying. Few states attempted to pass broad sanctions in an effort to prohibit cyberbullying. Problem include how to define cyberbullying and cyberstalking, and if charges are pressed, whether it violates the bully's freedom of speech. [50] B.

Walther has said that "Illinois is the only state to criminalize 'electronic communication(s) sent for the purpose of harassing another person' when the activity takes place outside a public school setting." Again this came under fire for infringement on freedom of speech.[50]

Harmful effects
Research had demonstrated a number of serious consequences of cyberbullying victimization.[9][38][34][35] For example, victims have lower self-esteem, increased suicidal ideation, and a variety of emotional responses, retaliating, being scared, frustrated, angry, and depressed. [38] One of the most damaging effects is that a victim begins to avoid friends and activities, often the very intention of the cyber-bully. Cyberbullying campaigns are sometimes so damaging that victims have committed suicide. There are at least four examples in the United States where cyber-bullying has been linked to the suicide of a teenager.[38] The suicide of Megan Meier is a recent example that led to the conviction of the adult perpetrator of the attacks.

Intimidation, emotional damage, suicide

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, "there have been several highprofile cases involving teenagers taking their own lives in part because of being harassed and mistreated over the Internet, a phenomenon we have termed cyberbullicide suicide indirectly or directly influenced by experiences with online aggression." Cyberbullying is an intense form of psychological abuse, whose victims are more than twice as likely to suffer from mental disorders.[51] The reluctance youth have in telling an authority figure about instances of cyberbullying has led to fatal outcomes. At least three children between the ages of 12 and 13 have committed suicide due to depression brought on by cyberbullying, according to reports by USA Today and the Baltimore Examiner. These would include the suicide of Ryan Halligan and the suicide of Megan Meier, the latter of which resulted in United States v. Lori Drew.

Lost revenue, threatened earnings, defamation

Studies are being conducted by large companies to gauge loss of revenue through malicious false postings. Cyberstalkers seek to damage their victim's earnings, employment, reputation, or safety. A 2008 High Court ruling determined that, generally speaking, slander is when a defamatory statement has been made orally without justification. Libelous statements are those that are recorded with some degree of permanence. This would include statements made by email or on online bulletin boards. [52]

Adults and the workplace

Cyberbullying is not limited to personal attacks or children. Cyberharassment, referred to as cyberstalking when involving adults, takes place in the workplace or on company web sites, blogs or product reviews. A survey of 1,072 workers by the Dignity and Work Partnership found that one in five had been bullied at work by e-mail and research has revealed 1 in 10 UK employees believes cyberbullying is a problem in their workplace.[53] Cyberbullying can occur in product reviews along with other consumer-generated data are being more closely monitored and flagged for content that is deemed malicious and biased as these sites have become tools to cyberbully by way of malicious requests for deletion of articles, vandalism, abuse of administrative positions, and ganging up on products to post "false" reviews and vote products down. Cyberstalkers use posts, forums, journals and other online means to present a victim in a false and unflattering light. The question of liability for harassment and character assassination is particularly salient to legislative protection since the original authors of the offending material are, more often than not, not only anonymous, but untraceable. Nevertheless, abuse should be consistently brought to company staffers' attention.

Recognition of adult and workplace cyberbullying tactics

Common tactics used by cyberstalkers is to vandalize a search engine or encyclopedia, to threaten a victim's earnings, employment, reputation, or safety. Various companies provide cases of cyber-stalking (involving adults) follow the pattern of repeated actions against a target. While motives vary, whether romantic, a business conflict of interest, or personal dislike, the target is commonly someone whose life the stalker sees or senses elements lacking in his or her own life. Web-based products or services leveraged against cyberstalkers in the harassment or defamation of their victims. The source of the defamation seems to come from four types of online information purveyors: Weblogs, industry forums or boards, and commercial Web sites. Studies reveal that while some motives are personal dislike, there is often direct economic motivation by the cyberstalker, including conflict of interest, and investigations reveal the responsible party is an affiliate or supplier of a competitor, or the competitor itself.

Awareness campaigns
Spain
There are multiple non-profit organizations that fight cyberbullying and cyberstalking. They advise victims, provide awareness campaigns, and report offenses to the police. These NGOs include theProtgeles, PantallasAmigas, Foundation Alia2, the non-profit initiative Acta Contra el Ciberacoso, the National Communications Technology Institute (INTECO), the Agency of Internet quality, the Agencia

Espaola de Proteccin de Datos, the Oficina de Seguridad del Internauta, the Spanish Internet users' Association, the Internauts' Association, and the Spanish Association of Mothers and Parents Internauts. The Government of Castile and Len has also created a Plan de Prevencin del Ciberacoso y Promocin de la Navegacin Segura en Centro Escolares, and the Government of theCanary Islands has created a portal on the phenomenon called Viveinternet.

United Kingdom
Cyberbullying was the subject of a forum at the British House of Commons chaired by Tim Loughton and Louise Burfitt-Dons of Act Against Bullying.[54]

United States
In March 2007, the Advertising Council in the United States, in partnership with the National Crime Prevention Council, U.S. Department of Justice, and Crime Prevention Coalition of America, joined to announce the launch of a new public service advertising campaign designed to educate preteens and teens about how they can play a role in ending cyber-bullying. A Pew Internet and American Life survey found that 33% of teens were subject to some sort of cyberbullying. January 20, 2008 the Boy Scouts of America's 2008 edition of The Boy Scout Handbookaddresses how to deal with online bullying. A new First Class rank requirements adds: "Describe the three things you should avoid doing related to use of the Internet. Describe a cyberbully and how you should respond to one." [55] [56] January 31, 2008 KTTV Fox 11 News based in Los Angeles put out a report about organized cyberbullying on sites like Stickam by people who call themselves "/b/rothas".[57] The site had put out report on July 26, 2007, about a subject that partly featured cyberbullying titled "hackers on steroids".[58] June 2, 2008 Parents, teens, teachers, and Internet executives came together at Wired Safety's International Stop Cyberbullying Conference, a two-day gathering in White Plains, New York and New York City. Executives from Facebook, Verizon, MySpace, Microsoft, and many others talked with hundreds about how to better protect themselves, personal reputations, kids and businesses online from harassment. Sponsors of the conference included McAfee, AOL, Disney, Procter & Gamble, Girl Scouts of the USA, WiredTrust, Childrens Safety Research and Innovation Centre, KidZui.com and others. This conference was being delivered in conjunction and with the support of Pace University. Topics addressed included cyberbullying and the law, with discussions about laws governing cyberbullying and how to distinguish between rudeness and criminal harassment. Additional forums addressed parents legal responsibilities, the need for more laws, how to handle violent postings of videos be handled, as well as the differentiation between free speech and hate speech. Cyberharassment vs. cyberbullying was a

forefront topic, where age makes a difference and abusive internet behavior by adults with repeated clear intent to harm, ridicule or damage a person or business was classified as stalking harassment vs. bullying by teens and young adults.[59]

Community support
A number organizations are in coalition to provide awareness, protection and recourse for the escalating problem. Some aim to inform and provide measures to avoid as well as effectively terminate cyber-bullying and cyber-harassment. Anti-bullying charity Act Against Bullying launched the CyberKind campaign in August 2009 to promote positive internet usage. In 2007, YouTube introduced the first Anti-Bullying Channel for youth, (BeatBullying) engaging the assistance of celebrities to tackle the problem.[60] In March 2010, a 17 year old girl named Alexis Skye Pilkington was found dead in her room by her parents. Her parents claimed that after repeated cyber-bullying she was driven to suicide. Shortly after her death, attacks resumed. Members of an online website forum, referred to as "eBaums World", "Baums", and "EB", began trolling teens' memorial pages on the social networking site Facebook. Comments included expressions of pleasure over the death, with pictures of what seemed to be a banana as their profile pictures. Family and friends of the deceased teen responded by creating Facebook groups denouncing cyber-bullying and trolling, with logos of bananas behind a red circle with a diagonal line through it.[61]

In media and pop culture

Adina's Deck a film about three 8th-graders who help their friend who's been cyberbullied. Let's Fight It Together a film produced by Childnet International to be used in schools to support discussion and awareness-raising around cyberbullying.

Odd Girl Out a film about a girl who is bullied at school and online. At a Distance a short film produced by NetSafe for the 8-12-year-old audience. It highlights forms and effects of cyberbullying and the importance of bystanders.

Cyberbully a TV movie broadcast July 17, 2011 on ABC Family. Similar to Odd Girl Out, it too depicts a girl who is bullied at school and online.

The Casual Vacancy - a young girl is subjected to harassing images repeatedly posted on her Facebook page.

See also

Cyber defamation law

Cyberstalking Defamation Digital safety Internet Troll Mobbing Sexting Suicide of Amanda Todd Suicide of Megan Meier Suicide of Ryan Halligan Suicide of Tyler Clementi

References
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18. ^ Cyberbullying among Teens The National Crime Prevention Association 19. ^ Cyberbullying in Adolescent Victims: Perception and Coping Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 20. ^ Stop Cyberbullying 21. ^ Cyberbullying in Adolescent Victims: Perception and Coping Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 22. ^ Cyberstalking - Introduction Crime Library, Criminal Minds and Methods 23. ^ Cyber-Stalking: Obsessional Pursuit and the Digital Criminal, by Wayne Petherick - Stalking Typologies and Pathologies 24. ^ UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line Bullying 25. ^ Cyberbullying Stalking and Harassment 26. ^ What to Do About Cyberbullies: For Adults, by Rena Sherwood; YAHOO Contributor network 27. ^ Cross, D., Shaw, T., Hearn, L., Epstein, M., Monks, H., Lester, L., & Thomas, L. 2009. Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study (ACBPS). Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Perth. Deewr.gov.au. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 28. ^ Hasebrink, U., Livingstone, S., Haddon, L. and lafsson, K.(2009) Comparing childrens online opportunities and risks across Europe: Cross-national comparisons for EU Kids Online. LSE, London: EU Kids Online (Deliverable D3.2, 2nd edition), ISBN 978-0-85328-406-2 lse.ac.uk 29. ^ Sourander, A., Klomek, A.B., Ikonen, M., Lindroos, J., Luntamo, T., Koskeiainen, M., Helenius, H. (2010). "Psychosocial risk factors associated with cyberbullying among adolescents: A population-based study.".Archives of General Psychiatry 67 (7): 720728. 30. ^ a b Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K.J., & Wolak, J. (2000). Online victimization: A report on the nations youth. Alexandria, VA: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 31. ^ ABCnews.co.com. Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 32. ^ Ybarra, M.L., Mitchell, K.J., Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. Examining characteristics and associated distress related to Internet harassment: findings from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey. Pediatrics. 2006 Oct;118(4):e1169-77 33. ^ Ybarra, M.L. & Mitchell, K.J. Prevalence and frequency of Internet harassment instigation: implications for adolescent health. J Adolesc Health. 2007 Aug;41(2):189-95 34. ^ a b c Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2008). Cyberbullying: An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Related to Offending and Victimization. Deviant Behavior, 29(2), 129 156. 35. ^ a b c Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2007).Offline Consequences of Online Victimization: School Violence and Delinquency. Journal of School Violence, 6(3), 89112. 36. ^ a b National Children's Home. (2005).Putting U in the picture. Mobile Bullying Survey 2005.(pdf)

37. ^ Beating the cyberbullies; Targets of taunting need help turning the tables on tormentors, All Business, Cynthia G. Wagner, Sept 1, 2008 38. ^ a b c d e Hinduja, S.; Patchin, J. W. (2009).Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and responding to cyberbullying. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. ISBN 1412966892. 39. ^ NCPC.org. NCPC.org. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 40. ^ Puar, Jasbir. "Ecologies of Sex, Sensation, and Slow Death". Periscope. Social Text. Retrieved December 15, 2011. 41. ^ Bullies versus Victims: War with Words. Konsiderit.blogspot.com (February 5, 2011). Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 42. ^ Cyberbullying Common, More So At Facebook And MySpace by Thomas Claburn, Information week; June 27, 2007 43. ^ Bill targets adults who cyberbullyPantagraph, by Kevin Mcdermott, December 20, 2007 44. ^ A rallying cry against cyberbullying. CNET News, by Stefanie Olsen, June 7, 2008 45. ^ PBS Teachers. Pbs.org. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 46. ^ Surdin, Ashley (January 1, 2009). "States Passing Laws to Combat Cyber-Bullying washingtonpost.com". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2009. 47. ^ International IT and e-commerce legal info. Out-law.com. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 48. ^ a b c d e Von Marees, N., & Petermann, F. (2012). Cyberbullying: An increasing challenge for schools. School Psychology International, 33(5), 476. 49. ^ Smyth, S. M. (2010). Cybercrime in canadian criminal law. (pp. 105-122). Toronto, ON: Carswell. 50. ^ a b c Walther, B. (2012). Cyberbullying: Holding grownups liable for negligent entrustment. Houston Law Review, 49(2), 531-562. 51. ^ "Cyberthreat: How to protect yourself from online bullying". Ideas and Discoveries (Ideas and Discoveries): 76. 2011. 52. ^ Defamation on the internet. Out-law.com. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 53. ^ One in 10 workers experiences cyberbullying in the workplace July 26, 2007 54. ^ Conservative Women's Organisation :: News Article. Conservativewomen.org.uk (June 28, 2007). Retrieved on July 6, 2011. 55. ^ "First Class Rank Requirements". US Scout Service Project. Retrieved August 5, 2008. 56. ^ "Boy Scout Handbook adds advice for dealing with bullies". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 5, 2008. 57. ^ "FOX 11 Investigates: Cyber Bullies". Fox Television Stations, Inc.. Retrieved February 5, 2008. 58. ^ "FOX 11 Investigates: 'Anonymous'". Fox Television Stations, Inc.. Retrieved August 11, 2007.

59. ^ Stop Cyberbullying An International Conference to Address Cyberbullying, Solutions and Industry Best Practices Wired Safety, Pace University Program, June 2008. 60. ^ YouTube tackles bullying online BBC News, November 19, 2007 61. ^ Salazar, Cristian (05/24/10). "Alexis Pilkington Facebook Horror: Cyber Bullies Harass Teen Even After Suicide". Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 October 2012.

Bullies and mean girls have been around forever, but technology has given them a whole new platform for their actions. As adults, we're becoming more aware that the "sticks and stones" adage no longer holds true; both real world and online name-calling can have serious emotional consequences for our kids and teens.

It's not always easy to know how and when to step in as a parent. For starters, our kids tend to use technology differently than we do. Kids and teens today start playing games online and sending texts on their cell phones at an early age, and most teens have smart phones that keep them constantly connected to the Internet. Many are logged on to Facebook and chatting or sending text messages all day. Even sending email or leaving a voice mail seems "so old-school" to them. Their knowledge of the digital world can be intimidating, but if parents stay involved in their kids online world, just as you do in their real world, you can help protect your kids from online dangers.

Fortunately, our growing awareness of cyberbullying has helped us learn a lot more about how to prevent it. Here are some suggestions on what to do if online bullying has become part of your child's life.

What Is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. By definition, it occurs among young people. When an adult is involved, it may meet the definition of cyber-harassment or cyber-stalking, a crime that can have legal consequences and involve jail time. Sometimes cyberbullying can be easy to spot for example, if your child shows you a text message, tweet, or response to a status update on Facebook that is harsh, mean, or cruel. Other acts are less obvious, like impersonating a victim online or posting personal information, photos, or videos designed to hurt or embarrass another person. Some kids report that a fake account, web page, or online persona has been created with the sole intention to harass and bully.

Cyberbullying also can happen accidentally. The impersonal nature of text messages, IMs, and emails make it very hard to detect the sender's tone one person's joke could be another's hurtful insult. Nevertheless, a repeated pattern of emails, text messages, and online posts is rarely accidental.

A 2006 poll from the national organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids found that 1 in 3 teens and 1 in 6 preteens have been the victims of cyberbullying. As more and more youths have access to computers and cell phones, the incidence of cyberbullying is likely to rise.

Effects of Cyberbullying
No longer limited to schoolyards or street corners, modern-day bullying can happen at home as well as at school essentially 24 hours a day. As long as kids have access to a phone, computer, or other device (such as an iTouch), they are at risk.

Severe or chronic cyberbullying can leave victims at greater risk for anxiety, depression, and other stress-related disorders. In some rare but highly publicized cases, some kids have turned to suicide.

The punishment for cyberbullies can include being suspended from school or kicked off of sports teams. Certain types of cyberbullying also may violate school codes or even anti-discrimination or sexual harassment laws.

Signs of Cyberbullying
Many kids and teens who are cyberbullied are reluctant to tell a teacher or parent, often because they feel ashamed of the social stigma, or because they fear their computer privileges will be taken away at home.

The signs that a child is being cyberbullied vary, but a few things to look for are:

signs of emotional distress during or after using the Internet or the phone being very protective or secretive of their digital life withdrawal from friends and activities avoidance of school or group gatherings slipping grades and "acting out" in anger at home changes in mood, behavior, sleep, or appetite

How Parents Can Help

If you discover that your child is being cyberbullied, talk to him or her about any experiences you have had in your childhood. This can help your child feel less alone. Let your child know that it's not his or her fault, and that bullying says more about the bully than the victim. Talking to teachers or school administrators also may help, but take cues from your child.

Many schools, school districts, and after-school clubs have established protocols for responding to cyberbullying; these vary by district and state. But before reporting the problem, let your child know that you plan to do so, as he or she could have concerns about "tattling" and might prefer that the problem be handled privately.

Other measures to try:

Block the bully. Most devices have settings that allow you to electronically block emails, IMs, or text messages from specific people. Limit access to technology. Although it's hurtful, many kids who are bullied can't resist the temptation to check websites or phones to see if there are new messages. Keep the computer in a public place in the house (no laptops in children's bedrooms, for example) and limit the use of cell phones and games. Some companies allow you to turn off text messaging services during certain hours. And, most websites and phones provide the option for parental controls, which provide parents with access to their childrens messages and online life.

Know your kids' online world. Check their postings and the sites kids visit, and be aware of how they spend their time online. Talk to them about the importance of privacy and why it's a bad idea to share personal information online, even with friends. Encourage them to safeguard passwords. Write up cell phone and social media contracts that you are willing to enforce.

Look to the web for resource and support information about cyberbullying.

If your son or daughter agrees, you may also arrange for mediation with a therapist or counselor at school who can work with your child and/or the bully.

When Your Child Is the Bully

Finding out that your kid is the one who is behaving inappropriately can be upsetting and heartbreaking. It's important to address the problem head on and not wait for it to go away.

Talk to your child firmly about his or her actions and explain the negative impact it has on others. Joking and teasing might seem OK, but it can hurt people's feelings and lead to getting in trouble. Bullying in any form is unacceptable; there can be serious (and sometimes irrevocable) consequences at home, school, and in the community if it continues.

Remind your child that the use of cell phones and computers is a privilege. Sometimes it helps to restrict the use of these devices until behavior improves. If you feel your child should have a cell phone for safety reasons, make sure it is a phone that can only be used for emergency purposes. Insist on strict parental controls on all devices if there is any history of your child making impulsive decisions when they are online.

To get to the heart of the matter, sometimes talking to teachers, guidance counselors, and other school officials can help identify situations that lead a kid to bully others. If your child has trouble managing anger, talk to a therapist about helping your son or daughter learn to cope with anger, hurt, frustration, and other strong emotions in a healthy way.

Professional counseling often helps kids learn to deal with their feelings and improve their confidence and social skills, which in turn can reduce the risk of bullying. If you're tech-savvy yourself, model good online habits to help your kids understand the benefits and the dangers of life in the digital world.

Cyberbullying: New Problems, New Tactics

Bullying is an old problem that remains difficult to bring under control, in part because technology offers new ways for kids to pick on one another. Indeed, cyberbullying can extend the reach and power of some of the worst bullies, subjecting kids to taunts from beyond their own schools and neighborhoods.

Cyberbullying also means the problem can be constant gone are the days when kids just dreaded an encounter on the bus or during the schoolday. Through cell phone texts, emails, and social media sites, bullies can torment their victims 24 hours a day. Picked-on kids can feel like they're getting blasted nonstop and that there is no escape.

Because many kids are reluctant to report being bullied, even to their parents, it's impossible to know just how many are affected. But it's estimated that one third of teens have been victims of some form of online bullying. Yet they often don't realize it happens to so many of their peers, adding to their sense of isolation.

As the pressure builds, victims can experience anxiety, depression, and other stress-related disorders. As recent well-publicized cases have shown, some kids and teens ended their lives to escape bullying. Experts say that kids who are bullied and the bullies themselves are at an elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completed suicides.

What This Means to You

Parents are often desperate to help when their kids are bullied. It's hard enough to combat the typical schoolyard thug so what can be done about the sometimes anonymous tormentors who strike from behind a computer screen?

Warning signs of cyberbullying to watch for can include:

emotional distress during or after using the Internet withdrawal from friends and family members avoidance of school or group gatherings slipping grades and "acting out" in anger at home changes in mood, behavior, sleep, or appetite wanting to stop using the computer or cell phone appearing nervous or jumpy when getting an instant message or email avoiding discussions about computer or cell phone activities

Why don't kids tell their parents about cyberbullying? Despite the torment they might find online, they still want to be connected to friends and are afraid they'll lose their online privileges. So it's important for parents to reassure them that they won't lose their access, though what transpires online should be carefully monitored. When possible, block the bully from your child's online groups and profiles, and on cell phones and email accounts.

Encourage your child not to respond, because doing so just fuels the fire and makes the situation worse. But do keep the threatening messages, pictures, and texts, as these can be used as evidence with the bully's parents, school, employer, or even the police. Also consider involving officials at your child's school, especially if the bully also goes there.

And if your son or daughter is doing the bullying, take steps to end the negative behavior. Explain that joking and teasing might seem harmless but can hurt feelings and lead to serious consequences at home, school, and in the community. If it continues, put tracking or filtering software on the computer, impose restrictions on computer and cell phone use, and consider having your child talk with a counselor.