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Imbalance of Power: people who bully use their power to control or harm and the people being bullied may have a hard time defending themselves
Intent to Cause Harm: actions done by accident are not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to cause harm
Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same the person over and over by the same person or group

What is Electronic Aggression?

Also called Cyberbullying
Utilizing the Internet, mobile phones, or
other digital technology to:
Send mean, vulgar or threatening messages or images
Post sensitive and private information about another person
Pretend to be someone else, creating a false identity
Exclude someone from an online group

BLOGS, FACEBOOK, MySPACE, Twitter.
Especially want to be aware of the bullying that occurs toward LGBTQ tweens & teens.

How is Electronic Aggression different from Face-to-Face Bullying?

Access: It is virtually impossible for a victim to get away from a cyberbully. Due to the necessity of computers and mobile phones , bullies can reach their victims at anytime.
Anonymity: Electronic Aggression (Cyberbullying) is not face-to-face interaction and cyberbullies hide behind technology which fosters lack of inhibition.
Reach: Unlike face-to-face bullying , due to technology, the cyberbullying audience has few to no barriers and the audience easily grows exponentially. Example- Face to face impacts small numbers- Cyber can impact school-wide or community wide audience.

Electronic messages- good & bad- retain a sense of permanence. They can be saved and forwarded, whenever!
Uploaded images cannot be fully deleted.
Teens may not realize (or minimize) the farther reaching consequences of posting information or images online.
( colleges, jobs)

Prevalence: Bullying

83% of girls and 79% of boys report experiencing harassment at school and more than 25% of them said it happened often.
In a 2009 CDC survey, about 20% of high school students reported being bullied on school property.
During the 2007-2008 school year, 25% of public schools reported bullying occurred daily or weekly.

Prevalence: Cyber-bullying

Current research indicates 9% - 35% of youth say they have been victims of electronic aggression. A 50% INCREASE in electronic aggression occurred between 2000-2005. Again - we believe it is higher now.
Victimization occurs through all forms of technology:

67% with instant messaging,
25% in a chat room (or chat box),
25% through email,
23% on a website,
16% with text message.

Electronic aggression victims are significantly more likely to use drugs & alcohol, receive school detentions or suspensions, skip school, experience in-person aggression, have emotional distress, and have relationship problems with their parents.

Possible Short-Term Effects

Anxiety
Loneliness
Low self-esteem
Depression
Social withdrawal
School absenteeism
Poor academic performance
Physical health complaints
Psychosomatic symptoms

Possible Long-Term Effects

High rates of depression
Social anxiety
Greater psychological effects in adulthood (self-esteem)
Childhood bullying is a highly memorable experience and can impact your entire life.

Who Is At Risk For Being Bullied?

Victims of bullying often:

Do not get along well with others
Are less popular than others
Have few to no friends
Do not conform to gender norms
Have low self-esteem
Are depressed or anxious

Warning Signs Someone Is Being Bullied

Unexplained injuries
Trouble sleeping or frequent bad dreams
Changes in eating habits
Loses interest or begins to perform poorly in school
Runs away from home
Complains of frequent headaches and stomachaches
Loses interest in or suddenly has fewer friends
Appears sad, moody, angry, anxious or depress
Talks about suicide

In Addition – other signs might include:

Comes home with damaged or missing clothing or other belongings
Reports losing items such as books, electronics, clothing, or jewelry
Hurts themselves
Are very hungry after school from not eating their lunch
Is afraid of going to school or other activities with peers
Feels helpless
Often feels like they are not good enough
Blames themselves for their problems
Avoids certain places
Acts differently than usual

Warning Signs Someone May Be Bullying Others

Get into physical or verbal fights with others
Will not accept responsibility for their actions
Are quick to blame others
Have friends who bully others
Have money or belongings that cannot be explained
Need to win or be the best at everything
Have Behavioral problems at school

What Does Not Increase Risk

Location - There are no differences in rates of bullying for urban, suburban, or rural communities. Bullying happens everywhere.
School Size - The overall percentage of students being bullied does not vary based on school size, although bullying does happen more often in larger schools.
Gender - Boys and girls are just as likely to be involved in bullying. Forms of bullying may vary by gender; for instance, some research has found that girls are more likely to bully others socially- ESP IN SOCIAL WEBSITES

Prevention

Improving supervision of students
Using school rules and behavior management techniques in the classroom and throughout the school to detect and address bullying, providing consequences for bullying
Having a whole school anti-bullying policy, and enforcing that policy consistently
Promoting cooperation among different professionals and between school staff, Law enforcement, medical professionals and parents.