Bullying is nothing new to school or youth culture. The past several decades in the United States have seen a remarkably consistent pattern, with bullying beginning in the elementary school years, peaking in frequency and intensity during junior high school (grades six through eight) and leveling off (but continuing) through high school.

But the rise of the Internet as a mean of regular communication between our children has opened up new doors for those who wish to bully other children. Chat rooms, MySpace, email, instant messaging and other online tools have all helped create the cyber bullying epidemic.

Statistics about cyberbullying

• According to the National Crime Prevention Center, over 40% of all teenagers with Internet access have reported being bullied online during the past year.
• Girls are more likely than boys to be the target of cyberbullying. Also, there is a direct correlation to the amount of time girls spend online and the likelihood that they will be bullied.
• The National Crime Prevention Center National Crime Prevention Center study found that only 10% of those kids who were bullied told their parents about the incident, and that a mere 18% of the cases were reported to a local or national law enforcement agency.
• Only 15% of parents are “in the know” about their kids’ social networking habits, and how these behaviors can lead to cyberbullying.
• Currently, the most common virtual locations for cyberbullying are chat rooms, social networking web sites, email and instant message systems.
• Of the technologies above, chat rooms are currently where the most cyberbullying occurs, with various sources finding anywhere between 45% - 57% of all incidents originating there.
• Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are growing fast, and so are the cyberbullying incidents originating from them. Experts believe that they will soon overtake chat rooms as the top source of cyberbullying problems worldwide.
• According to a recent study, 58% of 4th through 8th graders reported having mean or cruel things said to them online. 53% said that they have said mean or hurtful things to others while online. 42% of those studied said that they had been “bullied online”, but almost 60% have never told their parents about the incident.
• Cell phone cameras and digital cameras are a growing problem in the cyberbullying world. A recent survey found that 10% of 770 young people surveyed were made to feel “threatened, embarrassed or uncomfortable” by a photo taken of them using a cell-phone camera.
• According to extensive research on middle school age students and teenagers online, the fastest growing problems within the world of cyberbullying are:
  • Stealing an individual’s name and password to a social networking site, then using their profile to post rumors, gossip or other damaging information.
  • Altering photographs using PhotoShop or other photo editing software in order to humiliate the individual.
  • Recording conversations without the individual’s knowledge or consent, then posting the call online.
  • Creating confrontational and mean-spirited online polls about the individual and posting them on different web sites.
  • Using web sites and blogs to post hurtful, embarrassing information about another individual.

Cyberbullying is a growing problem in the United States and throughout the world. The act of Cyberbullying occurs when individuals use the Internet to harass or embarrass other people. Most often, cyberbullying occurs between kids who go to the same school or live in the same neighborhood.

But what are the tools of cyberbullies that allow them to hold such sway over their peers? The following is a list of five technologies currently employed by cyberbullies to intimidate other kids.

1. MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites - Currently the leading medium for cyberbullying incidents around the United States, social networking sites have become the instrument of choice for those kids and teens who look to humiliate other young people. These sites provide a means for individuals to post embarrassing photos, conduct mean-spirited online polls and other forms of cyberbullying. Another growing concern in this area is the theft of user IDs and passwords. When one individual steals another’s login information, they can go into their account and make statements in that person’s name. The results can be socially devastating to a teenager or adolescent.
2. Instant messaging - Instant messaging is a staple of major Internet companies such as AOL, Yahoo, Google (through its Gmail service) and MSN. Unfortunately, it is also used as a means of harassment. Many kids have adopted fake screen names and then used these account to “ping” their enemies with profanity and threats of violence.
3. Email – Email is a relatively anonymous act, especially if an individual goes by a screen name that bears no resemblance to their actual name. Email is used to send threatening letters and images, and can be the delivery device for rumors and falsehoods about an individual. Although many kids have moved on to social network sites as a means for their cyber bullying, email remains an “old school” way of performing this hateful act.
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4. PhotoShop – Surprisingly, the world’s most popular photo editing software is also a device used in many cyberbullying cases. In most cases, one individual will take a photo of another person and alter it so that the victim appears to be in a compromising position, or doing something they should not be doing. Digital camera and camera phones in general have been a problem in Cyberbullying cases – as they give individuals the power to take hidden or unwanted photos of another person, and then spread them instantly across the Internet.
5. Blogs – Many teenagers have gone so far as to create entire blogs focusing on their rivals or enemies. These blogs invite user participation via comment posts and create a permanent entity that intimidates the individual in question. Blogs are easy to set up and can be created anonymously, which only serves to make the problem that much worse. With little accountability, the bully is free to let loose a stream of destructive and hurtful language.

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