Abstract
Cyberbullying refers to the use of electronic means or digital technology to harass, intimidate, or cause harm. While much attention focuses on childhood cyberbullying, adult cyberbullying also occurs and may be referred to as cyberstalking or cyber-harassment. Cyberbullying in all its forms is remarkably common and prevalent, and may become more so as technology progresses and proliferates. The effects of cyberbullying can be drastic, including suicide or identify theft. The law does not always offer substantial protection against cyberbullying, although in some cases civil and/or criminal charges may result in serious repercussions for the perpetrators. Education and awareness helps prevent cyberbullying, but there are also means of preventing cyberbullying using the very same technology used to perpetrate it. While it may be impossible to prevent all types of cyberbullying, it is certainly possible to empower children and inform schools about how to create a culture of safety and support. To prevent and mitigate the problems associated with cyberbullying, parents and peers also need to play an active role and rely on a multitude of strategies. 

Introduction

The advent of digital technology has made it so that traditional forms of bullying have gone online. While cyberbullying by definition lacks direct physical aggression, it may accompany it. Cyberbullying bears most of the marks of traditional bullying, and is characterized by power imbalance in the social contract (Englander, Donnerstein, Kowalski, et al., 2017). Some teasing is inevitable online, but when digital technology is used to harass or hurt another person in any way, it can cause tremendous psychological harm and even result in lifelong consequences. 

Parents, teachers, and school administrators may be only tacitly aware of the problem of cyberbullying without really realizing how to recognize it, how to prevent it, and how serious it can be. In many ways, cyberbullying is easier to pull of than traditional bullying. For one, the perpetrator can hide behind a cloak of anonymity if desired, which could not happen in face-to-face encounters. In one survey, 81% of teens admit that bullying someone online is “easier to get away with” than physical or in person bullying (“11 Facts About Cyberbullying,” n.d.).

Second, the smartphone has practically become an appendage for many young people. The person will invariably be exposed to the bullying behaviors because they are so difficult to avoid. Third, cyberbullying can go viral. Unlike face-to-face incidents, the messages or images that bullies use to harass or intimidate will be visible by exponentially greater numbers of people than would be possible with traditional forms of bullying. By the same token, the malicious content may linger in cyberspace for years, haunting the victim—as well as the bully. 

The law has yet to evolve consistent methods of preventing or responding to cyberbullying because it is a complex issue. Unless the cyberbully used racial slurs or made overt threats, it would be possible to claim the right to freedom of speech. Another issue is related to how the victim of cyberbullyign reacts. Some students are remarkably resilient psychologically and socially and do not allow cyberbullyign to bother them. Yet a large number do not have robust emotional, social, or cognitive coping skills. Even when cyberbullying comes across as seemingly mild or harmless, it can leave long-term repercussions for the child’s social life and even influence the ways parents and teachers perceive that child. Cyberbullying certainly needs to be taken seriously, and considered more as a signal that the culture’s norms of teenage socialization need to change.

Definition of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying takes many forms but is fairly easy to define. It refers to deliberate attempts to harm a person using digital technology. Cyberbullying can include verbal abuse, threats, or damaging a person’s reputation by spreading rumors or circulating graphic imagery and other multimedia. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services refers to both relational aggression and verbal aggression. Relational aggression includes the indirect acts, such as spreading rumors or multimedia files that embarrass or shame. Verbal aggression is more direct: saying hateful or mean things to a person. Misinterpreting the tone of a person’s message should not be considered cyberbullying, but merely proof that digital methods of communication do lack features that convey emotion well such as tone of voice or body language (Enough is Enough, n.d.).. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between actual cyberbullying and simply poor netiquette. Some definitions of cyberbullying limit it to children and adolescents. Hirsch  (n.d.), for example, claims that by definition cyberbullying “occurs among young people,” and that adult cyberbullying should be referred to as cyberstalking or cyber-harassment (p. 1). However, not all adult forms of cyberbullying can be classified as stalking or harassment; some forms are more akin to bullying in that the intent is to demonstrate or maintain social dominance by belittling, demeaning, insulting, or shaming another person. 

Statistics and Prevalence of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is very common, affecting as many as 43% of all young people, with 1 in 4 reporting regular online bullying (“11 Facts About Cyberbullying,” n.d.). Most of the research on cyberbullying does focus on the youth population, but an estimated one out of every six adults experiences cyberbullying (Hirsch, n.d.). Most of the aggregate data show that aleast one in every...…drivers who see the children every day and observe social interactions. Schools need to create a “culture of respect,” which means taking the smallest acts of verbal aggression seriously (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” n.d.). 

Schools could also have an anonymous tip line or other means by which students can report instances of cyberbullying without ijmplicating themselves. Children also need to be taught effective coping skills that build resilience and empower them to stand up to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be made socially unacceptable when peers unite together to shame bullying behavior. 

Silence perpetuates cyberbullying, both on the part of victims and also witnesses. Not reporting cyberbulling is exactly what the cyberbully wants—as the cyberbully can be viewed as a type of terrorist. Silence signifies fear, shame, or cowardice. Yet most children are afraid to report the behavior because of their even greater fear of social repercussions like embarrassment or appearing weak.Only one in ten children will report cyberbullying (“11 Facts About Cyberbullying,” n.d.). Teaching children to report and celebrating peers who report would make a huge difference in the school culture. Reporting it is a sign that the child is not intimidated, and is willing to stand up to the bully using whatever means necessary. Reporting it may also reveal that the bully was attacking others, too, and therefore the act of reporting could end up preventing further harmful behaviors. Research shows that parents who talk openly with their children about cyberbullying help mitigate the effects of bullying and increase the child’s resilience (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).

Parents may want to consider blocking the bully from their child’s social media or address book. Alternatively, parents may consider limiting the child’s online time or temporarily suspending online time. The child may learn to rely more on other means of self-empowerment and to ignore the harmful messages causing them psychological pain. Children also need access to supportive social networks, which could even include formal support groups for the victims of bullying. The child may also channel their feelings into blog posts and help other victims of bullying to create a supportive social landscape.

Conclusion

Parents, teachers, and community organizations need to take cyberbullying more seriously. Although cyberbullying is typically discussed in terms of teenagers, it can also occur among adult populations. Therefore, the workplace should cultivate a culture of safety that prevents cyberbullying and responds to incidents immediately. Cyberbullying may reflect underlying problems in the culture related to being overly tolerant of the patterns of teenage socialization or misunderstanding the right to freedom of speech.