Cyberbullying Study: Teens Underestimate Bullying

According to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, children between the ages of 12-17 underestimate how often bullying of their peers occurs, especially when it takes place online.  Although the online world is vast and powerful thanks to social networking, teens are apparently not always aware that cyberbullying is happening to people other than themselves.

The study asked 1,454 teens how frequently “mean things” happen to their peers and defined this act as “anything that someone does that upsets or offends someone else,” including insults, threats or embarrassing photos.  61% thought their classmates had been bullied in school, while only 50% said classmates had similar experiences online.

Researchers suspect this underestimating may be a result of the pain cyberbullying causes and that it makes many teens feel very alone.

“Even though we think of the online context of being this very public space where it’s easy to know what’s happening to others, we actually found out teens are not aware of how often cyberbullying occurs among their peers. We saw these underestimates, particularly online,” co-author Guadalupe Espinoza told a session at the American Psychological Association‘s annual convention here Friday. Jaana Juvonen, a professor of developmental psychology and co-author, has conducted previous research on bullying.

The study didn’t use the term “bullying.” Instead, students were asked how frequently “mean things” happened to them in the past year; the study defined “mean things” as “anything that someone does that upsets or offends someone else.” It included behaviors such as insults, threats or sharing embarrassing photos.

Espinoza suggests that one reason for the online underestimate is the young people may think they’re the only ones facing cyberbullying.

“It may be the case that cyberbullying is especially painful for youth if they think ‘I’m experiencing this alone. It isn’t happening to any of my peers. Why just me?” she says.

The research found that most of these young people have experienced bullying at school and on the Internet, but boys in particular underestimated such situations among their peers.

The study also attempted to find out more about the reasons for bullying, by asking the teens and pre-teens the most common reasons for these occurrences. Girls thought it was jealousy or looks, while boys said the most common reason was a prank.

“Take the time to teach your children good Internet safety rules and the possible effects of cyberbullying from the perspective of a giver and receiver. Always keep the lines of communication open between you and your child to insure Internet safety and to help your child with any emotional issues that may arise online or offline” - Online Guardian

Sources: SafetyWeb Writer, Safetyweb.com   Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY

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