family life | F E AT U R E Protecting Children and Teens From The Stress of
CYBERBULLYING written by Sandi Schwartz
O
ne of the biggest challenges parents currently face is how to manage our children’s access to technology. When they are young, we worry about them spending too much time staring at screens and not getting outside to play. As they get older, they start asking for their own cell phone, and then the world (the good, the bad, and the ugly) is available right in the palm of their hand. Sadly, the rise in popularity of the internet, smartphones, and text messaging has led to a major bullying problem online, called cyberbullying.
THE SCARY STATISTICS Nearly 43 percent of kids have been bullied online, according to PACER, the organization who developed National Bullying Prevention Month that is held every October to unite communities nationwide to inspire, educate, and raise awareness about bullying prevention. Cyberbullying is now the single largest type of bullying, and 25 percent of kids who have been bullied say they have experienced it more than once. Cyberbullying typically involves spreading rumors or writing hurtful comments to another person using technology. The spread of technology has made bullying so much easier because it has removed the traditional barriers of time and space between bullies and their houston family magazine
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October 2020
victims. They can interact in real time at any moment throughout the day, whether it be during or after school. The technology to hurt someone is constantly on—available 24/7. The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are social media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter), text messages, instant messages (Facebook Messenger), and email. Why are kids being bullied? According to TeenSafe data: • 72 percent of children are cyberbullied because of their looks. • 26 percent of victims are chosen due to their race or religion. • 22 percent of harassed children feel that their sexuality was the cause of the bullying. Other reasons include weak athletic ability, intelligence level, strong artistic skills, strong morals, refusal to join the crowd, or having a small build (i.e., too short or too thin).
HOW CYBERBULLYING CAUSES STRESS AND ANXIETY Like any traumatic event, cyberbullying can cause immediate and lingering stress and anxiety for the victims. They often are left feeling lonely, isolated, vulnerable, depressed, and anxious. The top four anxiety disorders that victims of bullying can
experience include posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and social anxiety disorder. Several recent studies show a clear link between bullying and anxiety. In 2011, Elizabeth Carll, PhD, of the American Psychological Association presented the findings about the negative aspects of the internet in a talk entitled, “Electronic Harassment and Cyberstalking: Intervention, Prevention and Public Policy.” She concluded that cyberbullying can cause intense stress that may even be worse than being harassed in person. Students who were bullied online felt socially anxious, lonely, frustrated, sad, and
helpless. Next, a 2013 study published in JAMA Psychiatry by researchers at Duke University found that both bullies and people who are bullied have an increased risk of depression; panic disorder; and behavioral, educational, and emotional problems. Finally, a 2014 study found that victims of frequent bullying had higher rates of depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal feelings nearly four decades after a bullying incident. It is important to keep an eye out for possible warning signs that your child is being cyberbullied, such as these highlighted by stopbullying. gov:
