Author

Amanda Berkey

Bullying today often takes different forms than it has in decades past, but the effects — emotional damage, trauma, and a lasting negative impact on mental health — remain the same. According to child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Michael Franz, “Cyberbullying is an extension of — and a turbocharger for — something that has been around for centuries.” Bullies no longer have to face the immediate ramifications that were a potential consequence of their actions. Instead, they can hide behind screens, group chats, and fake identities.

Cyberbullying is defined as the use of technology (such as social media and messaging apps) to intimidate, harass, threaten, or embarrass others. It can take a variety of forms, including posting content with the aim of humiliating a target, sending hurtful messages, sharing private information without the consent of an individual, spreading rumors, and more.

According to Pew Research Center, 46% of teens in the United States have experienced online bullying or harassment. Here, we’ll explore statistics on cyberbullying in the U.S., cyberbullying effects on teens, and steps that teachers, teens, and parents can use to combat cyberbullying.

Table of Contents

1. 1. Negative Effects of Cyberbullying
   2. Cyberbullying Statistics
   3. Cyberbullying Examples
   4. Most Common Ways Kids Experience Cyberbullying
   5. What Might Cause Someone to Be a Cyberbully?
   6. How to Stop Cyberbullying
   7. Explore EVERFI’s Resources for Teaching Health & Wellness to Students

Negative Effects of Cyberbullying

Emotional Effects	Behavioral Effects	Physical Effects
Depression	Isolation	Tiredness
Suicidal thoughts	Poor academic performance	Headaches
Low self-esteem	Difficulty trusting others	Sleep disturbances
Anxiety	Avoidance of technology	Weakened immune system
Fear	Substance use	Appetite changes
Anger	Increased aggression	Stomach issues

Mental & Emotional Side Effects

Cyberbullying can have a range of effects on a victim’s mental wellness including:

• Depression: Students may begin to experience depression when cyberbullied, especially if they feel they cannot escape the harassment. Cyberbullying may exacerbate depression in students who are already struggling with mental health issues.
• Suicidal thoughts: Suicidal thoughts and ideation can occur in students who feel they do not have a way out from bullying.
• Low self-esteem: According to a recent fact sheet from the Cyberbullying Research Center, cyberbullying victims are more likely to experience self-esteem problems.
• Anxiety: Victims may find that they’re plagued by a constant sense of worry that makes it difficult to engage in school, activities, and even sleep.
• Fear: Students who experience cyberbullying may be afraid to go to school or participate in activities due to the fear of students talking about them without their knowledge or taking and sharing photos and videos without their consent.
• Anger: Victims may feel angry toward their bully, which may be taken out on unintended targets, such as family members or friends.

Behavioral Side Effects

Parents, teachers, and peers may notice behavioral changes in victims of cyberbullying. Behavioral side effects of cyberbullying can include:

• Isolation: Experts say that teens who are cyberbullied may isolate themselves unintentionally, according to Emily Moser, the Director of Lines for Life, a youth suicide prevention program. “They’re in this place by themselves,” says Moser. “It’s about not having any counterbalance to the ugliness.”
• Poor academic performance: According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, more than 60% of students who experience cyberbullying say they feel their ability to learn at school has been deeply affected by their experience.
• Difficulty trusting others: Cyberbullies are often former friends of their victims, leaving it difficult for victims to know who they can trust.
• Avoidance of technology: A 2020 study on adolescent cyberbullying showed that many students take an avoidance approach, refusing to look at their phone or social media as often as normal in an effort to ignore harassment.
• Substance use: The connection between cyberbullying and substance abuse is strong. A 2019 study showed that students who simply witness cyberbullying are more likely to engage in substance abuse.
• Increased aggression: While aggression is typically associated with bullying perpetrators, victims may also become aggressive over time in an effort to defend themselves against others, especially if physical threats are made against the victim.

Physical Side Effects

The anxiety and fear associated with being a victim of cyberbullying can result in physical consequences. Students who experience cyberbullying may develop physical side effects, including:

• Tiredness: Stress can take a toll on the body, and many victims of cyberbullying find that their energy levels are no longer sufficient to handle their academic, extracurricular, and home responsibilities.
• Headaches: A 2019 study showed that cyberbullying victims were 1.5 times more likely to report headaches than others their age.
• Sleep disturbances: Stress can make it hard to fall asleep, and this effect can be compounded when students feel the need to constantly check their phone or computer. “It’s 24 hours a day. It can be midnight if they’re looking at their phone or their computer. And it can come in different ways — in their email or their chat or their social media, so it’s more persistent than in-person bullying,” says Gabert.
• Weakened immune system: According to neuroscience research organization The Dana Foundation, chronic bullying leads to higher levels of stress hormones, which can negatively affect the immune system.
• Appetite changes: Students who are bullied are less likely to practice healthy eating habits,according to a 2019 study. If students often receive cyberbullying messages while they’re in the lunchroom, they may avoid eating during school hours.
• Stomach issues: In many students, the anxiety and fear related to bullying can cause stomach troubles that may make it hard to focus in class

Cyberbullying Statistics

Let’s take a look at some of the stats on cyberbullying in the U.S.:

• 49% of 15-to-17-year-old students report that they’ve experienced cyberbullying, while 42% of 13-to-14-year-old students report the same.
• 49% of female students have been cyberbullies, compared with 43% of male students.
• Black teens report being bullied for race at higher levels than white or Hispanic students. Both white and Hispanic students report being bullied for their physical appearance at higher levels than Black students.
• Teens believe that parents are doing a better job of addressing cyberbullying than teachers, law enforcement, social media sites, and elected officials.
• Teens from lower-income households (less than $30,000 per year) are twice as likely as teens from higher-income households ($75,000 or more per year) to say they’ve experienced threats to their physical safety through cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying Examples

Some types of cyberbullying — like sharing photos without a person’s consent — are overt, while others fly under the radar more easily. Here, we’ll explore several examples of cyberbullying.

Victim: Sarah 

Sarah, a 6th-grade student, stutters while giving a presentation in class. A classmate, Hector, posts a video of the presentation online, where he adds captions that mock Sarah’s speech patterns. Other students join in, sharing the video and adding cruel comments. Sarah dreads going to school, as she feels humiliated and scared she’ll be made fun of by those she considers her friends, so she begins to skip school and withdraw from activities. Eventually, a friend notices the changes in Sarah’s behavior and goes with her to speak with the school counselor about the issue. The school counselor then addresses the issue with the perpetrators.

Victim: Carl 

Carl, a high school senior, joins the drama club and earns the lead in the school play. Kevin, a fellow student, is bothered by Carl’s success. He creates a group chat with the drama club but doesn’t include Carl. Kevin sends real-time texts to the group, making fun of Carl at rehearsal. Carl feels isolated and wonders if he should drop out of the play. Instead, he goes to the faculty director of the drama club, who addresses the issue and decides that Kevin may no longer participate in the school play.

Victim: Stephanie 

An 8th-grade student, Stephanie, shares a singing video on Instagram, and a classmate, Charlie, responds with harsh comments, calling Stephanie a “talentless try-hard.” He then creates a video mocking Stephanie’s performance. Stephanie begins to receive hurtful messages, as well as additional videos mocking her attempt to share her talent. One of Stephanie’s close friends notices the changes in her behavior. Together, Stephanie and her friend go to the principal, who assigns consequences to the offending students and holds a class meeting to discuss cyberbullying with the 8th-grade class.

Most Common Ways Kids Experience Cyberbullying

In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, keeping track of the various platforms students use to communicate is hard. Currently, students typically experience cyberbullying through social media, texting, and gaming platforms.

Social Media

The onset of social media has made it easier than ever for students to cyberbully one another. While many schools have policies surrounding appropriate social media use, it’s often easy for students to fly under the radar by creating fake profiles or using an alias when harassing another student.

Some of the most common ways cyberbullying occurs on social media platforms, such as Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, include:

• Exclusion: Intentionally leaving a group member out of online conversations creates a feeling of isolation.
• Impersonation: Creating fake social media accounts to mimic or bully someone.
• Spreading rumors: Using social media to share fake information about a person.
• Harassment: Repeatedly sending a person hurtful messages or comments, either from a real account or an impersonation account.

Texting

Texting is also a common medium for cyberbullying. Many students send texts about others when they’re in the room, leaving many anxious that they’re being silently discussed behind screens just a few feet away.

Ways that students may be bullied via text messaging include:

• Sharing private information: Screenshots of private texts between two students can be distributed to unintended recipients.
• Group messaging: Much like social media cyberbullying, text threads may intentionally exclude a member of the group with the express purpose of talking about them without their knowledge.
• Harassing messages: Students may text others from apps that block their actual number, allowing them to send harassing or threatening messages without revealing their identity.

Online Games

Today’s video games are different from the closed systems of the past. Students can communicate with other players, which, unfortunately, offers an additional platform for cyberbullying.

Gaming-related cyberbullying can happen in the following ways:

• Exclusion: Students may create teams that intentionally leave one person out, leading to feelings of isolation.
• Verbal abuse: Players may use the audio aspect of online games to insult, belittle, threaten, or ridicule others.
• Griefing: This type of cyberbullying involves a player or players intentionally sabotaging a target’s gameplay, making it impossible for them to move forward in the game.

What Might Cause Someone to Be a Cyberbully?

It can be hard to understand why a student might choose to bully others. The ability to hide behind a cell phone or computer screen can make it incredibly easy for students to say things they wouldn’t dare say to a person’s face. According to Judy Gabert, a program specialist with an Idaho State Department of Education youth suicide prevention program, “The bully may feel less sad about the actions they took. There’s a distance between them and the kid who they bullied because they don’t have to look at their face or their body language after the incident.”

Some of the reasons a student may become a cyberbully include:

• Lack of empathy: Cyberbullies may struggle to understand or care about the feelings of their peers, allowing them to engage in hurtful behavior without realizing or caring about its impact.
• Peer pressure: Students cave to peer pressure to cyberbully others in an effort to become part of a social group.
• Past victimization: Those who have experienced cyberbullying in the past may be more likely to cyberbully others.
• Frustration and anger: Students experiencing frustration and anger in other aspects of their lives may find it easier to take out negative emotions on a virtual target than dealing with the reality of their stressors.

How to Stop Cyberbullying

As an educator, you can make a difference in the lives of students by educating them about the consequences of cyberbullying, as well as stepping in if you suspect cyberbullying may be occurring in your classroom or school.

Ways to control cyberbullying in teens can include:

• Keep an open dialogue with students and administrators. Having ongoing conversations with both students and administrators regarding cyberbullying can help all parties recognize the signs of bullying, allowing for fast, effective action. Learning to develop healthy relationships is a skill, and keeping an open dialogue can help students learn what they need to know to move forward.
• Encourage students to speak up. Taking students seriously when they speak up about cyberbullying can encourage others to speak up as well. Let students know that they should speak up if they know cyberbullying is occurring — even if they aren’t the victim.
• Know the law. Cyberbullying laws are rapidly evolving, and staying on top of the law in your area using resources like StopBullying.gov can help.
• Involve parents. Schools can only do so much when it comes to cyberbullying, as the bulk of it often occurs outside of school. Talking with parents about cyberbullying issues can provide you with the support you need to stop rumors, harassment, and threatening behavior.

Visit this link to learn more: about the steps parents and educators can take to stop cyberbullying.