Electronic bullying, also known as e-bullying or cyberbullying, is harassing someone while using electronic devices. As with other forms of bullying, the harassment or harm is intentional and ongoing. Bullying is also usually marked by an unfair confrontation, where the bully has some type of advantage over the victim.
Cyberbullying includes posting nasty comments, spreading rumors or threatening to hurt someone online; pretending to be someone else online in order to hurt or deceive someone; posting nasty photos or videos online or going so far as to set up a humiliating, hurtful or nasty Web page. Kids can use email; online social networking sites, such as MySpace or Facebook; instant messaging; personal blogs and text messages. Cell phones are one of the most popular devices kids use, according to a February 2010 Cyberbullying Research Center survey. The center surveyed 4,000 youth ages 12 to 18 from 41 different schools and found 83 percent used cell phones at least weekly.
Unlike traditional bullies, cyberbullies do not necessarily need to be physically bigger or stronger than their victims. Cyberbullying is an equal opportunity form of harassment, with the ranks of bullies including kids of all races and genders, according to the Cyberbullying Research Center. The center's study found about 20 percent of the students surveyed had engaged in some type of cyberbullying in their lives, while 10 percent admitted to having used one or more types of cyberbullying at least twice in the past 30 days.
The victims are just as numerous as the electronic bullies, the Cyberbullying Research Center reports. About 20 percent of the kids surveyed said they were cyberbullied at least once in their lives, with more than 17 percent saying they were cyberbullied using one or more method at least twice in the past 30 days. One difference between the bullies and the victims was the gender. Adolescent girls were more often victims of cyberbullying than adolescent boys, at 25 versus 16 percent, according to the survey.
The results of cyberbullying can be devastating, as evidenced by the suicide of high school student Phoebe Prince. The 15-year-old had been the victim of cyberbullying before she took her own life on Jan. 14, 2010, according to an online article in the Boston Globe. Other results can include a ruined reputation, humiliation, shame, being ousted from social circles and loss of friends.
Schools are in a bind when it comes to stopping electronic bullying, according to the Stop Cyberbullying website. Unless the bullying happens at school during school hours, officials do not have the authority to stop it, even though the results may be clearly seen in the classroom. The Stop Cyberbullying site suggests setting up a policy, signed by both the student and parents, that allows schools to intervene with disciplinary measures for cyberbullying outside of school hours and off the grounds. The high school where Prince was a student is creating an anti-bullying task force at the school, but the school gave no details on any policies or plans.