Most adults envision bullying as something that occurs at recess or during lunch. Perhaps a student shoves another in the corridor, or a group of students teases a “outsider.” Bullying throughout our adolescence, in whatever shape it took, was almost always obvious. Today’s youth, on the other hand, are increasingly confronted with a type of bullying that is less visible. Cyberbullying has grown as a result of youths’ increased use of digital technology. As youngsters spend more time online, they’re more likely to be victims of cyberbullying, especially with national stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Table of Contents
· What does it mean to be bullied online?
· Screen time has increased.
· Cyberbullying: How Common Is It?
· Increased Peril
· Cyberbullying’s Consequences
· Taking Initiative
What does it mean to be bullied online?
Bullying that takes place on digital devices like phones or computers is known as cyberbullying. It frequently occurs on social media, text, email, instant messages, and gaming platforms. Sending or sharing harmful or derogatory content about someone to embarrass them is a common form of cyberbullying.
Because this information is frequently shared anonymously, cyberbullying appears to be even more dangerous.
Because there are various interpretations of what cyberbullying is and studies rely on self-reporting, the numbers surrounding it can vary. Consider the following statistics to gain a better understanding of the issue of cyberbullying among today’s youth:
Screen time has increased.
People all throughout the world, especially children, are spending 20 percent more time on social media as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
According to the Pew Research Center, 71 percent of American parents with children aged 11 and under are concerned that their children are spending too much time in front of devices.
70% of parents believe their children spend at least four hours per day in front of a device. Prior to the epidemic, 60% of parents indicated that their children spent no more than three hours each day in front of a screen.
Cyberbullying: How Common Is It?
According to our cyberbullying study, which looked at the parents of children aged 10 to 18, 21% of youngsters have been cyberbullied.
From January to July 2020, 56% of these reports were filed. This rise is thought to be related to the greater amount of time spent online during COVID-19 lockdowns.
In January 2020, 44% of all internet users in the United States stated they had been harassed online. Offensive name-calling was the most common kind of online harassment, accounting for 37% of all cases.
Increased Peril
Kids on YouTube are the most likely to be cyberbullied of all the social media platforms, with 79 percent, followed by Snapchat with 69 percent, TikTok with 64 percent, and Facebook with 49 percent.
We also discovered that the likelihood of cyberbullying rose with a child’s age. The probability of getting cyberbullied increased by 2% as the child grew older in two-year intervals between the ages of 10 and 18.
Children from families earning less than $75,000 per year were twice as likely to be cyberbullied as children from families earning more than $75,000 per year (22 versus 11 percent).
Cyberbullying’s Consequences
After being cyberbullied, over half of teens felt angry, a third felt wounded, and nearly 15% felt terrified.
Two-thirds of tweens who had been cyberbullied claimed it had a negative influence on their self-esteem.
Nearly a third of preteen cyberbullying victims stated the episodes had a negative impact on their friendships, while 13% said it had a negative impact on their health.
Taking Initiative
According to the National Crime Prevention Council, the most efficient technique to avoid cyberbullying is to block the bully.
Sixty-six percent of teen cyberbullying victims begged the bully to stop tormenting them.
All communication with the bully was barred by 34% of those polled.
Only 29% of people did nothing.
The occurrences were discussed by 11% of the students with their parents.
According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, over two-thirds of tweens have tried to help someone who is being tormented online, and 30% have tried many times.
Cyberbullying has become a serious concern as kids and young people spend more time online. The fact that abusers hide behind screens has no bearing on the consequences of cyberbullying for those who are affected. Teens agree that cyberbullying is a serious issue, but many believe that those in power are not doing enough to solve it. Anti-bullying organizations and campaigns try to educate and empower individuals on how to prevent and respond to cyberbullying, but today’s youth believe that social media firms and elected officials should do more to prevent cyberbullying and safeguard children online. Check out our cyberbullying resources for more information on how to prevent and respond to cyberbullying.
Pew Research Center. (2020). Parenting Children in the Age of Screens. pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/parenting-children-in-the-age-of-screens/
Morning Consult. (2020). YouTube, Netflix and Gaming: A Look at What Kids Are Doing With Their Increased Screen Time. morningconsult.com/2020/08/20/youtube-netflix-and-gaming-a-look-at-what-kids-are-doing-with-their-increased-screen-time/
Statista. (2021). U.S. internet users who have experienced cyber bullying 2020. statista.com/statistics/333942/us-internet-online-harassment-severity/
Statista. (2020). Increased time spent on media consumption due to the coronavirus outbreak among internet users worldwide as of March 2020, by country. statista.com/statistics/1106766/media-consumption-growth-coronavirus-worldwide-by-country/
Cyberbullying Research Center. (2021). Tween Cyberbullying in 2020. i.cartoonnetwork.com/stop-bullying/pdfs/CN_Stop_Bullying_Cyber_Bullying_Report_9.30.20.pdf
National Crime Prevention Council. (2021). Stop Cyberbullying Before it Starts. archive.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/bullying/cyberbullying.pdf
