Cyberbullying

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, the definition of cyberbullying is "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices."

Cyberbullying has steadily increased over the years. PEW Research Center states that nearly half of the teens in the U.S. have been bullied or harassed online, and older teen girls are more likely to be harassed due to their physical appearance. Regardless of why teens are being harassed or bullied, we must continue educating students on the consequences of bullying, and offer ways to prevent bullying. The Cyberbullying Research Center offers numerous videos and instructional materials that schools can use to teach via school-wide assemblies or within a classroom.

Personally, I feel that cyberbullying can be worse than physical bullying. In my experience, I was most often hurt by others through the internet rather than in person. I think that people feel fearless when they are sitting behind a screen, whether it's a computer or a cellphone. I experienced my first cyberbullying when I became active on social media in middle school. I think that cyberbullying felt worse 20 years ago because we did not have the resources available to educate students. The focus was more on physical bullying. Now, I think that people that are my age have realized that others would have benefitted from cyberbullying prevention methods and they have created numerous resources.

I was not surprised to learn that cyberbullying has increased over the years. I feel that it will continue to increase as long as we are reliant on social media and other electronic devices to communicate.

My school district participates in a program called Olweus. This program trains teachers on bullying prevention and gets the students regularly involved in activities that promote kindness and inclusion. Some of the lessons that I've seen included writing kind notes to students and placing them on their lockers. The program and it's lessons have been well received by students so far.

As of January 1, 2025, my school district is implementing a student personal electronics policy that prohibits students from using cell phones, smartwatches, and other similar devices during the school day. This policy is an effort to lessen student distractions and fully engage with their teachers and other students. This could be a good step towards lessening cyberbullying.

References:

Cyberbullying Research Center. (n.d.). Videos. https://cyberbullying.org/videos

Cyberbullying Research Center. (n.d.). What is bullying? https://cyberbullying.org/what-is-bullying

Pew Research Center. (2022, December 15). Teens and cyberbullying 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/