Cyberbullying: a Growing Problem

Present day society has an increasing juvenile population who come into contact with technology and electronic devices every day. The proportion of teens with a smartphone has more than doubled since 2012, from 41% up to 89 %. Among 13 to 14 year olds, 84% now have a smartphone, and 93% have some type of mobile device such as a tablet. Nine out of 10 teens (89%) have their own smartphone, meaning that social media can be accessed anytime and anyplace. 70% use social media more than once a day, including 16% who use it almost constantly and another 22% who use it several times an hour.

Additionally, less than 32% of all teens said their favorite way to communicate with friends was in person (Common Sense Media, 2018). This increase in child exposure to technology, social media and electronic devices is problematic. Furthermore, the behaviors they exhibit through technology tend to be deviant behaviors. More and more children are encountering cyberbullying victimization opposed to traditional bullying as a result of this growing phenomenon.

Cyberbullying

The phenomenon of cyberbullying is closely tied to the rapid growth and widespread availability of information and communication technology (Cho & Yoo, 2016).Cyberbullying is the bullying that takes place over electronic means of communication. This includes communications over an increasing number of devices including cell phones, tablets, and computers (Yang & Grinshteyn, 2016). Cyberbullying is the use of technology to tease, humiliate, threaten and/or harass someone. It can take place through text messaging or social media. Cyberbullies might send mean comments, post embarrassing photos, or share private information about someone to humiliate or mock them online (Hirsch, 2014).

The increase of smartphones and the rise of social media have transformed bullying where, when and how it takes place. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, it finds that 59% of U.S. teens have personally experienced at least one type of abusive online behavior. The most common type of harassment youth encounter online is name-calling. Some 42% of teens say they have been called offensive names online or via their cellphone. Additionally, about a third (32%) of teens say someone has spread false rumors about them on the internet, while smaller shares have had someone other than a parent constantly ask where they are, who they’re with or what they’re doing or have been the target of physical threats online. However, it is important to note that cyberbullying does not necessarily begin and end with one particular behavior. More specifically, 40% of teens have experienced two or more of the actions aforementioned (Atske, 2018).

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