Bullying common in cyberspace

A new study in the Journal of School Health reveals that cyberbullying is common among teens who are frequent internet users, with 72 percent of respondents reporting at least one incident during the past year. Online bullying was associated with increased distress, as well as with in-school bullying, with 85 percent of respondents who reported at least one online incident also reporting being bullied in school. Most of the bullied teens did not tell their parents about the online incidents. They felt the need to deal with the problem on their own and were fearful of parental restrictions on internet use.

These findings are based on an anonymous web-based survey of 1, 454 youth between the ages of 12 to 17, conducted by Jaana Juvonen, Ph.D., and Elisheva F. Gross, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles.

"Just as school-based bullying is considered a public health concern, online bullying should be recognized as an issue that needs attention," the authors conclude. "Because of the generation gap in electronic communication, however, parents and educators need to better understand both the positive and negative functions of teen online behavior."

Source: Wiley-Blackwell