WHY AND HOW DO TEENS CYBERBULLY – The Rise of the Social Cyberbully
All types of bullying seem to be on the rise but for many of our youth, it is the cyberbully that causes them more pain. Cyber-bullying sneaks right in our homes and most parents are not even aware it is happening! Tweens and teens now are not even safe in front of their computer screen or on their cell phones. Cyber-bullying happens when individuals use technology/social media platforms to write aggressive, embarrassing, or hurtful messages to/about others in order to scare, harass, shame, and control.
Parents of teens who have special needs or are autistic must be very vigilant to make sure cyberbullies are not stalking their vulnerable kids. It was found that 27% of teens in the Pew Research Center study say social media leads to bullying and kids spreading rumors. Cyber bullying is a form of teen violence that can do lasting harm to young people.
Robbie Richards works for Rawhide Boys Ranch, a non-profit supporting at youth-risk youth in Wisconsin. Rawhide offers a full continuum of programs and services that provide prevention-based programs for youth and families, and includes more intensive residential services for at-risk young men.
As part of National Bullying Prevention awareness month, Robbie Richards published an infographic titled “The Rise of the Social Cyberbully”. It includes the latest statistics around prevalence of cyber-bullying, consequences, common types, and focuses in on how teens and parents are handling it.
Popular Social Networks for Cyberbullies
Keeping a careful watch for possible cyber-bulling means that parents must keep in the know about their teens’s media presence. Just a few years ago, our teens social media platform preference was Facebook but this now is not the dominant force for our youth. The infographic gives us the statistics for the media platforms that are popular in 2018:
- 35% of teens use Snapchat
- 32% of teens use YouTube
- 15% of teens use Instagram
- 10% of teens use Facebook
- Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, and other platforms round out some of the other platforms used.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, published a post on Oct. 9th 2018 titled “New Tools to Limit Bullying and Spread Kindness on Instagram” His first paragraph reads:” There is no place for bullying on Instagram. If people see that kind of hurtful behavior on our platform, they can report it, and we remove any content that violates our guidelines. But online bullying is complex, and we know we have more work to do to further limit bullying and spread kindness on Instagram. That’s why today we’re announcing our latest tools to help combat bullying, including a new way to identify and report bullying in photos. We’re also introducing a camera effect to help spread kindness in Stories. As the new Head of Instagram, I’m proud to build on our commitment to making Instagram a kind and safe community for everyone….”
The Rise of the Social Cyberbully Infographic by Robbie Richards who works for Rawhide Boys Ranch
Add Comment