Send a Gift Back to Your Friends

Cyberbullying: the new form of bullying Adolescent expressions of frustration and discontent that used to be whispered in hallways are now being graphically broadcast on Web pages, as well as much darker feelings that cannot be ignored by educators (Conn, 2001). Canadian Bill Belsey coined this as “Cyberbullying” (Belsey, 2004). There are reports of cyberbullying leading to suicide, school violence (including one school murder), school failure, and school avoidance (Willard, 2006). Cyberbullying is the new form of bullying that makes use of the diverse range of technology now available. The National Children’s Home says that this phenomenon which includes using email, text, chat rooms, mobile phones, mobile phone cameras and web sites to harass or bully others is being used by children and adolescents world wide. The Internet is unique in that it is a person-to-person communication and it can also be used as a mass medium, like the radio or television (Campbell, 2005). Therefore when the Internet is used for something destructive such as bullying, the long-term effects can reach more people, resulting in more serious damage to a person’s psyche. Online communication can be extremely vicious, students who normally wouldn’t say such hurtful and outrageous things are empowered by the anonymity and the fact that their victim is not directly in front of them. The fact that there is no escape for those who are being cyberbullied-victimization can happen 24/7, distinguishes cyberbullying from traditional bullying. Willard also says the anonymity provided by the Internet can do more than just empower bullies; it can make it harder for victims to cope. “If you have no idea who is bullying you, it can damage your relationships with everybody (Willard, 2006). Bullying; what it is and prevalence: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reports that bullying can be considered the most prevalent form of youth violence and may escalate