Cyberbullying

Who are the bullies at your child’s school? Many would believe they are kids with multiple challenges – unpopular, at risk, or with issues at home or other special needs. While many times those students do tend to act out, a recent National Research Council report on bullying has found that most bullies, especially in high school, are actually the socially skilled, popular students who are hurtful as they try to establish and maintain social dominance.

How are schools approaching this finding? Many have come to realize that the “rules and punishment” approach to bullying and cyberbullying doesn’t work, and could even make the bullying worse. Evidence shows that often students will not report hurtful incidents for fear that it won’t help or just make things worse.

One new approach being suggested by many experts is getting schools to switch from bullying prevention to ensuring a more positive climate. One group that is working to bring about that kind of change is Embrace Civility in the Digital Age. Their site is full of ideas and resources to help school staff, students, and administrators to lay the foundation to fight bullying by creating a school environment where hurtful behavior is incompatible with the accepted social norms. 

While social media has certainly helped fuel a set of behaviors dubbed "bro culture", it is also helping to stop its spread.  In the wake of recent accounts of sexual harassment and assault of women in the tech industry, a spotlight has been placed on “bro culture” which has become synonymous with the dangerous normalization of sexual objectification, harassment, assault and homophobia. In a recent article in The New York Times, author Ana Homayoun looks at the phenomenon online and shares information about several programs that aim to teach healthy behaviors to youth. One violence prevention program called Green Dot had more than a 50 percent reduction in the self-reported frequency of sexual violence and bullying by high school students. The program works with students to shift responsibility from victims to bystanders. Teaching young people that members of a community look out for one another may help reduce the spread of bro culture and other kinds of bullying, advises Homayoun.

According to a study that was recently published in the journal PLOS One, men who were worse players at online games than their peers tended to hurl more nastiness at female gamers. On the other hand, men who consistently perform well were nicer overall to both male and female players. This was found by a pair of researchers from the United States and Australia who examined interactions between players during 163 games of Halo 3 to determine when men were most likely to exhibit sexist, anti-social behavior toward their female peers. Takeaway for parents? Remind the gamer girls at your house that they still should let you know when comments go too far but to keep in mind that a lot of the vitriol they face online may just be raw jealousy.

There’s a new anonymous app in town, and teens are making it the most popular free download in Apple’s App Store. Sarahah—roughly translated as “honestly” in Arabic—has had viral growth, especially this summer after the debut of its English app on June 13th. Since then, teens have embraced the anonymous platform, which one teen describes as “a way for teens to continue the drama and say things about people without revealing their identity.” Clearly, as with anonymous apps Yik Yak, Ask.fm, and Whisper before it, Sarahah is plagued with negativity and trolls—prompting some to wonder how long it will be before it gets shut down.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 girls are cyberbullied in the US, compared with 1 in 10 boys. In a commentary on this topic, Carmen Caldwell of the Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade discusses about the dangers of cyberbullying and why it more often affects girls. She also cites another survey that shows only 33 percent of teens report when they are being harassed online. One of the biggest takeaways for parents is the importance of daily communication, so that if something does happen, the child will be more likely to approach parent about the issue.

Instagram is the top platform for cyberbullying, according to Ditch the Label’s recent United Kingdom (UK) survey. Ditch the Label is one of the UK's most innovative anti-bullying charities and has started working in the US as well. According to the research, 50% of 12-20-year-olds have been cyberbullied, and 42% of those had the experience on Instagram. Facebook was a close second at 37%, followed by 31% on Snapchat, and only 10% on YouTube. Half the teens were bullied about their appearance, while 27% had photos and videos shared without their approval. One in ten were bullied within just a week of the survey, showing an immediate need for the fight for positivity on social media. Check out the Ditch the Label website for resources such as how to get help for individuals being cyberbullied, and to learn about volunteer opportunities.