A Free Educational Resource Created by Carnegie Mellon University to Empower You to Secure Your Part of Cyberspace

The New School Bully

With the rise of electronic communication, schools must address a new kind of bullying.

Traditionally, school bully picked fights on the playground. Today, the new school bully can be a silent menace.

Due to the widespread use of email, blogs, instant messaging and text messaging, students can talk instantly with classmates, which also means they can ridicule each other without making a sound. The use of an electronic medium to harass or threaten others is called cyberbullying.

For several reasons, cyberbullying is a different threat than bully tactics of the past. The electronic medium allows attacks to happen immediately, frequently and anonymously. Cyberbullies can quickly spread insults and embarrassing photos of a victim throughout the school.

Cyberbullying is on the rise in American schools. A growing concern is causing states to take action. As of May 2007, many state legislatures, including Rhode Island, Vermont, Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon, have bills that would require schools to enforce a policy against cyberbullying.

But for some parents, the legislation comes too late. In some cases, parents have resolved a tough bullying problem by moving their children to new schools. Bullied children suffer long-lasting emotional damage and, in the worst cases, some have committed suicide.

To prevent cyberbullying, students must learn what is appropriate to send or publish electronically. Educators and parents can help children to learn "netiquette" and should be watchful of children's emotions and activities. For tips, refer to cyberbullying in our encyclopedia.

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