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Cyberbullying by Adolescents: A Preliminary Assessment
Educational Forum, The, Fall 2005 by Strom, Paris S, Strom, Robert D
Abstract
A new threat has arisen for which teachers, administrators, and parents admit they are poorly prepared. Cyberbullying-electronic forms of peer harassment-is becoming increasingly prevalent and often originates beyond the legal reach of the school. This presentation describes how cyberbullying differs from other forms of mistreatment, cites examples of Internet intimidation, identifies procedures for responding to electronic threats, explores implications for teachers and parents, recommends questions for initial research, and presents a poll for schools to use in assessing student experience with cyberbullying.
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Public concern about unfair treatment is expressed more often now than in the past. Americans are resolved to decrease the number of people suffering from child abuse, spousal abuse, coercion in the workplace, exploitation by religious leaders, favoritism by government officials, and intimidation by police officers. Denunciation Of these types of offenses and demands that misconduct must result in punishment are evidence of progress toward becoming a civil society. To effect change, schools and families must collaborate in educating adolescents to develop self-control and concern for the welfare of others (Peterson and Seligman 2004).
Uniqueness of Digital Bullying
Cyber harassment involves using an electronic medium to threaten or harm Others. E-mail, chat rooms, cell phones, instant messaging, pagers, text messaging, and online voting booths are tools used to inflict humiliation, fear, and a sense of helplessness. This type of intimidation differs from traditional bullying in several ' important ways. Unlike the incidents that most adults recall from their youth, where the threatening party is physically bigger and more powerful than the victim, cyberbullies can be physically weaker than the persons they attempt to frighten. Cyberbullies typically hide behind the mask of anonymity that the Internet provides by using fictitious screen names. Because abusers may lack face-to-face contact with the individuals being persecuted, they may not know the level of duress that is produced by their misconduct. Therefore, they are unlikely to experience feelings of regret, sympathy, or compassion toward the victim (Schneier 2003).
Harmful messages intended to undermine the reputation of a victim can be far more damaging than face-to-face altercations. Instead of remaining a private matter or event known by only a small group, text or photographs can be communicated to a large audience in a short time. Whereas bullies at school usually can be identified easily by mistreated individuals, cyberbullies typically are difficult to trace. Consequently, cyberbullies can avoid responsibility for their misconduct, thereby reducing the fear of getting caught and being punished (Cooper 2005).
Cyberspace represents new territory for peer mistreatment, often leaving school administrators with doubts about the boundaries of their jurisdiction. School leaders may be unable to respond when unknown parties have sent hate messages from a location outside the school, such as from a home-based computer or mobile phone (Belsey 2005). Some students are reluctant to tell adults about the anxiety they endure at the hands of cyber enemies, fearing that parents may overreact by taking away their computer, Internet access, or cell phone. Many teenagers are unwilling to risk having parents choose such extreme forms of protection because, without technology tools, they would feel socially isolated and less able to stay in immediate contact with their friends (Cottle 2001).
A misconception about cyber abuse is that nothing can be done about it. In reality, cyber harassment is a crime that resembles other forms of unlawful behavior and is subject to prosecution. The University of Dayton School of Law (2001) offers numerous resources for understanding the legal issues related to cyberbullying. The Web site www.cybercnmes.net describes cyber stalking and cyber intimidation, identifies agencies to contact for help in dealing with cyber mistreatment, offers guidelines for reporting abuse, and presents articles explaining legal processes and penalties related to a wide range of cyber crimes.
Examples of Cyber Intimidation
Until recently, victims of bullying considered their homes a place of safety, a sanctuary from abusive peers. This is no longer the case in an era of instant, electronic communications. Most secondary-level students go online soon after they return home from school (Roberts and Foehr 2004). Some discover that they are the target of threats, rumors, and lies without knowing the identity of the persons creating fear and frustration, and most don't know how to stop the damage. The following examples of adolescent cyberbullying in several countries reveal the range and complexity of the issues.
Shinobu is a high school freshman in Osaka, Japan. When his gym period was over, Shinobu got dressed in what he believed was the privacy of the school changing room. However, a classmate who wanted to ridicule Shinobu for being overweight secretly used a cell phone to photograph him. Within seconds, the picture of the naked boy was sent wirelessly by instant messaging for many students to see. By the time Shinobu finished dressing and went to his next class, he had already become a laughing stock of the school (Paulson 2003).
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