Cyberbullying Facts Everybody Needs To Be Aware Of

Cyberbullies employ a wide range of strategies, from threats to gossip. In this article, learn about some cyberbullying facts that everybody needs to be aware of.

The most popular way to describe cyberbullying is as hostile behavior that takes place on a computer or other digital device. Some examples of cyberbullying include calling someone names over and over again in text messages, making threats on social media, or making fun of someone while playing an online video game.

Most people believe cyberbullying is a problem that just affects adolescents as if it were an issue with a middle school bully that has spilled over into the real world.

Cyberbullying, on the other hand, isn’t just a problem for teenagers and pre-teens. It’s happening in schools, workplaces, and adult groups as well.

Anger Manifested through Computer

The CDC has compiled a report on “electronic aggressiveness,” covering a wide range of conduct. Email, chat, instant messaging, texting, or blogging can all be used to harass or abuse another person via teasing, lying, ridiculing, spreading rumors, or threatening or hostile comments. Electronic aggression also encompasses these other forms of communication.

The following are the findings:

• The percentage of young people who have been victims of electronic aggression ranges from 9 to 35 percent.
• Sixty-four percent of those who have been harassed by an aggressive text message say they have met the sender in person.

• About a third of those who were victimized report that they were subjected to derogatory remarks.
• 13 percent of respondents said they were the subject of online rumors.
• One in fourteen people reported being intimidated or subjected to abusive remarks.

Students In The 8th Through 12th Grades.

Children can be cyber bullied in a variety of ways. You may receive ominous text messages from a friend, or they may propagate falsehoods about you online. If a bully wants to obtain personal information or images of an individual, he or she may pose as a friend of the victim.

BullyingStatistics.org reports the following statistics on middle and high school students who have been subjected to cyberbullying:

• Only around one out of every five instances of cyberbullying is ever brought to the attention of the authorities.
• One in ten teenagers says they’ve been the subject of a photo that was taken without their permission.
• One in five teenagers has sent or shared nude and sexual pictures of themselves.
• Most teenagers don’t notify their parents if they’ve been bullied online.
• More than half of all teenagers have been subjected to some type of cyberbullying.
• More than 1/3 of today’s youth have received cyber threats.
• Smartphones have been used by more than a quarter of young people to bully them frequently.

Students At A College Or University

The threat of cyberbullying persists long after students graduate from high school. It’s not uncommon for it to continue through college.

A survey of 439 college students on cyberbullying was conducted in 2010 and published in the Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences journal.

What more did they discover?

• In college, 22% of students say they’ve been cyberbullied.
• Nearly three-quarters of college students reported knowing someone who had been cyberbullied.
• Of those who have done so, 9 percent said they had done so against another student.
• They discovered no significant variations in cyberbullying behaviors based on gender or ethnicity.

Statistics on Suicide

It has been found that cyberbullying can cause a wide range of negative consequences. For example, a study published in 2014 connected it to various mental and physical ailments.

Many tales in the popular press focus on a person who committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying. However, until recently, little study has been done on the link between cyberbullying and suicide risk.

Researchers found the following:

• Suicide attempts rise by 8.7 percentage points as a result of cyberbullying.
• Cyberbullying is linked to a 15 percent increase in suicidal thoughts.
• Suicide rates fall by 11 per 100,000 people for every 1 percent reduction in online bullying.
• There was a 7 percent decrease in cyberbullying victimization after the introduction of cyberbullying regulations in the United States.

Male victims were more likely to take their own lives due to cyberbullying. Non-fatal suicide behaviors are more likely to be increased among women who have been subjected to cyberbullying.

You or your teen can reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Dial 911 if you believe there is an immediate danger to life or property. To report an emergency threat, dial 911.

Cyberbullying In The Workplace

Many people are being mistreated online in the workplace as more and more firms rely on electronic communications. According to researchers, cyberbullying in the workplace is distinct from other forms of bullying.

Cyberbullying in the workplace can occur both inside and outside of the office. The anguish may not end when the office doors close, as victims may be subjected to electronic contact at all hours of the day or night.

Many forms of workplace cyberbullying exist. Social media campaigns and blogs may be used to attack the victim. Threats of public disclosure of private information may also be part of the conversation.

Many people are subjected to cyberbullying by an unnamed coworker. Victims who don’t know whom they’re being targeted can find this particularly upsetting.

Cyberbullying at work has been connected to higher stress, impaired mental and physical well-being, emotional difficulties, worse job satisfaction, and lower performance, according to a study published in Computers in Human Behavior in 2017.

According to findings from a study done in 2016 by the Universities of Sheffield and Nottingham:

• Workplace cyberbullying has been reported by 8 out of 10 people in the past six months.
• In the last week, between 14 and 20 percent of people reported experiencing cyberbullying.

Take action if you or your child is being cyberbullied. The bully should be prevented from contacting you if possible. Contacting an administration or HR expert to report what’s going on is also vital. Depending on the regulations in your location, you may also need to call the police. 

Talk to your doctor if the circumstance is affecting your mental and physical health. Referral to a therapist can aid you in processing your experience and in making efforts to improve your feelings of well-being.

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