Bullying—It’s Not Just at School Any More Bullying has been a school problem for decades, and some schools do better than others at handling it, but no one doubts any longer that bullying has serious psychological effects on both the victims and the perpetrators. Now, however, bullying has taken on a new dimension—it’s not limited to the schoolyard and is increasingly being conducted in electronic media—instant messaging, chat rooms, e-mail, text messaging, and the Internet—and schools will feel the impact of that form of bullying, as well, according to a series of articles in the current issue of Journal of Adolescent Health. A journal supplement funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that: • Although rates of electronic aggression are lower than rates of physical and verbal aggression, they seem to be increasing. In the year 2000, 6 percent of internet users 10 to 17 years old said they had been subjected to online harassment, but by 2005, the percentage had grown to 9 percent; • Adolescents who were harassed online were more likely to get a detention or be suspended or skip school, and to experience emotional distress; • Sixty-four percent of youth who are harassed online are not harassed or bullied at school. So far as school mental health services are concerned, it may not make much difference whether students are being bullied electronically or in person, the researchers concluded: many of the same behavioral and psychological consequences may follow either form of harassment, including feeling unsafe at school and possibly carrying weapons. School professionals should be especially concerned, however, about youths who report overlaps—being bullied by the same person online and at school. "A team effort is certainly required, and principals should not be expected to act in isolation. Often principals do not have access to children’s e-mails and are unable to verify who sent or posted the information. Parents must take responsibility for intervening as well." The researchers note, however, that it may not always work to rely on parents for information about online bullying—in many cases, young people may feel uncomfortable about disclosing the experience to their parents. "Instead of making this a requirement for support, professionals working with young people should have an adult network identified to whom they can refer such children for unthreatening support." Young people who have been bullied online describe it as "rude or nasty comments," "spreading rumors," or "threatening or aggressive comments." An important minority of youth who are harassed online report not personally knowing the harasser. "This may be an important aspect of power in the online experience: by withholding one’s identity, the aggressor potentially has the upper hand in online communications." That makes it important, the researchers say, that school professionals understand the specific details of the online bullying and can help the youth identify a prospective plan for dealing with it. Articles relating to bullying published in the December 2007 Supplement issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health are available in full at http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jah/home. |
