There is a growing type of bullying and abuse among teens that was non-existent a decade ago that goes by the name of "cyberbullying." This can include a variety of different bullying methods that all use today's technology such as cell phones, e-mail, texting, or social networking websites.
Most often, cyberbullying victims are subject to repeated threatening texts, harassing e-mails, or other cruel comments via the internet. What most people don't realize is that the affects caused by this type of abuse are invisible to the human eye. Although someone may be the victim of digital dating gone bad, there are rarely any physical injuries. Many times cases go unnoticed because the victim doesn't think it's a big deal, or they are afraid to tell their parents from fear that their cell phones or laptops will be confiscated, experts say.
New studies performed by the Cyberbullying Research Center indicate that the number of teenagers involved in romantic relationships that use tech devices and social networking to abuse each other is on the rise.
According to CNN, "sexting" is another growing form of cyberbullying. This is when racy photos of an individual are shared with unintended recipients. This can be extremely embarrassing and humiliating for students like Allyson Pereira, who was a victim of sexting in middle school. Now, Pereira is campaigning and speaking out against digital dating abuse and is even featured in the MTV documentary, "A Thin Line," which advocates for cyberbullying victims.
Another common practice among abusive teens include preventing their partner from using a certain gadget or website altogether. Around 10 percent of teens claim their romantic partner restricted them from using a computer or cell phone, experts say. Also, an abusive partner will sometimes take the password of their victim's e-mail or Facebook to routinely check up on him or her, says Parry Aftab, founder of the internet bullying advocacy group, Wired Safety.
Many times, cyberbullying can lead to other serious problems. Physical fights can occur when a cyber bully wishes to finish a fight that started online, as was the case with parent Wilmecia Robinson and her two daughters.
"(My daughters have) been terrified. I mean they can't even concentrate and do their work," said Robinson.
She claims that her daughters were harassed all semester by a bully until the student was arrested for bringing a knife and mace to school. There have been approximately five other cyberbullying cases in the Metro school area responded to in the past two weeks, school officials say. That's more than they have ever seen in that amount of time.
Officials said that most commonly, cases begin with threats or phrases such as:
- Do you want to fight me?
- You better leave my sister alone!
- We'll settle this at school!
One of the worst parts of the cyberbullying pie is the fact that today's technology allows for the abusive partner to have constant access to the victim. This means they can stalk the person when and where they want to, all the time. Social networking can give a bully more leverage, thanks to the hundreds and thousands of students connected online, says Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of education for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
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| Tyler Clementi |
This tragic case is just one example of the hundreds of thousands of cyberbullying cases here in the United States. With more and more groups forming in the defense of digital dating victims, there is still hope for a halt to this new problem among teens.
