Take a minute… What do you think of when you visualize a bully? Did you think of the scariest kid in school who torments kids for their lunch money? Although these types of bullies still exist, there is now a new kind of bully to worry about. This kind doesn’t just steal your lunch money, but will send you nasty text messages from their iPhone or post embarrassing comments on your Facebook wall. Meet the cyberbully.

What exactly is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying involves the use of technology, such as cell phones or the internet, to harass another individual on purpose. Although you may not walk away with bruises or a black eye, cyberbullying can often be much more psychologically damaging than its physical counterpart. Today’s youth are experiencing cyberbullying at an alarmingly increasing rate. Why? Probably because when people believe that they are acting anonymously they are more likely to say hurtful things because they think they won’t get caught.

Many of you may have been a victim – or even the bully – at one point in time. A 2008 cyberbullying survey, conducted by the University or Toronto, indicates that nearly 1 in 5 students have been bullied online in just the last 3 months! Cyberbullying can often have devastating consequences for both the victim and the bully. Not only can it can lead to a student withdrawing from school, but it also contributes to depression, isolation, eating disorders and, in extreme cases, even suicide. In severe cases the police may become involved…this can be bad news for the bully. 

If you are the victim of cyberbullying the Media Awareness Network recommends following these four steps:

• STOP- immediately leave the online environment or activity where bullying is going on.
• BLOCK e-mails or instant messages received from bullies. NEVER RESPOND.
• RECORD all harassing messages and send them to your Internet provider (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.). Most providers have policies about users harassing people on their server.
• TALK to a trusted adult about the cyberbullying; alert the police when bullying involves physical threats.

Long gone are the days where bullies were only found in the playgrounds. Unfortunately, they are now found sitting in their living rooms hiding behind the anonymous wall of their computers.