About Cyberbullying
The purpose of this website is to inform students, parents, and educators about the growing problem that is cyberbullying. Effective prevention methods and intervention techniques will also be discussed to inform you of your options.
Cyberbullying is when a child, preteen, or adolescent is threatened, harassed, humiliated, or embarrassed by another child, preteen, or adolescent through the use of Internet, digital technologies, or cellular phones. It also involves the use of information or interactive technologies by an individual or group to intentionally hurt and torment others.
Methods of Cyberbullying:
Cyberbullies can send messages of hate to their target by use of email.
Instant Message (IM) or Text Messages:
Threatening and harrassing messages can also be sent through IM and text messages. Cyberbullies can repeatedly send offensive language through instant message in order to log his target off the Internet Service Provider (ISP), which can have several consequences i.e., it may be a while before the provider lets them use the service again. Continuous text messages or "text message attacks" have also been known to take place, and the target is left emotionally hurt, with a possible expensive cellular phone bill at the end of the month.Chat Rooms or Message Boards:
Hate messages or repeated hate messages to one target also known as “bashing” can take place in chat rooms or message boards and can be written anonymously.Websites:
Cyberbullies have created specialized websites to intentionally torment and harass other children or adolescents they dislike and purposely want to hurt.
Who is a Target?
Boys and girls are both equal targets of online harrassment, and older teens are more likely to experience cyberbullying than younger teens. According to Cyberbullying411 (found under "Favorite Links"), the average age of an adolescent involved in cyberbullying is 15 years old.