New Study About Harassment Online and Offline By Peers

According to a new study by Pew Internet & American Life Project:

One in three teenagers say they’ve been bullied in some way online, but two-thirds of teens still believe they’re more likely to be harassed offline.

A peer that publishes private information about another teen is the most common form of cyberbullying reported.

The simplicity of being able to replicate and quickly transmit digital content makes bullying quite easy.

Key take away: Few communications are private anymore. The ubiquity of cameras and video, plus the ease and diversity of online communication/distribution (i.e. email, instant message, social networks) makes it all to easy to have information published without your teen’s permission.

It is critical to educate your teens not to disclose information about themselves or others online. If someone has violated that, you must act swiftly to put an end to it before the information propogates.

Please answer these quick polls and definitely read the Pew report (link below).

Related links:

• Pew Report on Cyberbullying
• Cnet article summarizing the Pew report
• Tips to Avoid Being Bullied
• Cyber Bullying Statistics
• Children bullying each other online
• Podcast Episode 5 “Fitting In”