New study says 1 in 10 students affected by cyberbullying
A report released in June, 2009 by the National Institute of Health indicates that 13% of sixth through tenth-graders have bullied or been bullied online or by cellphone.
Cyberbullying is bullying through a computer or other communication device. It is done through email, instant messaging, chat rooms and text messaging. The study shows more boys become cyberbullies while more girls become cyber-victims.
Photo by J_O_I_D (Flickr)
Cyberbullying seems to peak in middle school and the number of friends a teen has makes a difference. A person with few friends is more likely to become a victim, while those with more friends are a higher risk to become bullies.
For more about cyberbullying, see: http://askthejudge.info/will-my-facebook-or-myspace-entries-hurt-me-later-on/219/
This post was written by Tom Jacobs. Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including the recently published 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing). When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom can be found hiking, traveling and reading.
