Cyber Bullying & School Bullying

Cyberbullying is hurting someone else over and over again through the Internet or a cell phone. So, instead of whispering a rumor to a friend, a bully might e-mail the rumor or post it on Facebook for everyone to see! Or, a bully might use technology to ignore you. (An example of this would be a friend ignoring your e-mails or IMs all of a sudden.)

Cyberbullying happens most often through:

• Web sites (including social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter)
• Blogs
• Instant messages (IMs)
• E-mail
• Chat rooms
• Text messaging/texting
• Cell phone photo messages
• Virtual worlds

Many teens today, especially girls, use technology to bully others. Teens may be more likely to cyberbully because they feel protected by the Internet. It’s much easier to type mean words to someone than to say them in person, but that doesn’t make them any less hurtful.

Source: Office on Women’s Health