The health risks of cyberbullying in college

Sandee LaMotte, Special to CNN

Updated 1906 GMT (0306 HKT) March 3, 2015

(CNN)"I hope she sees this and kills herself." - message to Amanda Todd

"The world would be a better place without you." - message to Megan Meier
Infamous quotes from famous cases of teenage cyberbullying, each ending tragically
with the victim taking her life. Heartbreaking cases like these galvanized research
and today much more is known about the damaging effects of cyberbullying among
middle and high school students -- including an increased risk for depression,
substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, hostility and delinquency.
What about college students? After all, they're the most frequent users of digital
technology andsocial media sites. Will their increased maturity and experience keep
them safe?
Not so much, according to a new study from the University of Washington.
Questioning 265 girls enrolled in four colleges, researchers found college-age
females just as likely to suffer the negative effects of cyberbullying as younger
adolescents.
"That's a jump off the page," said study co-author Dr. Megan Moreno. "This is the
type of bullying that is going beyond those childhood and adolescent years and into
young adulthood."
The study found college girls who reported being cyberbullied were three times more
likely to meet clinical criteria for depression. And if the cyberbullying was connected
to unwanted sexual advances, the odds of depression doubled.
"A six-fold increase in the odds for depression when there was fallout from unwanted
sexual advances or fallout from a romantic relationship was very striking," said
Moreno. "These are not innocuous actions. These are actions that really can trigger
depression and really can lead to damage to the people who are involved. "
A 2014 survey about online harassment by the Pew Research Center found 26% of
18-24 year-old-women say they've been stalked online, while 25% say they were the
target of online sexual harassment.

"Some people have hypothesized that cyberbullying in that context -- unwanted

sexual advances really starts to look like it should be on the spectrum of sexual
violence rather than bullying," said Moreno.
Cyberbullies suffer too. Girls who bully have a four times higher risk for depression
than those who don't. The study also found they're also more likely to have a drinking
problem.
"For problem alcohol abuse, it was really the bullies that struggled, and not the
victims," said Moreno.
The study didn't take a look at other mental health impacts, such as suicidal thoughts.
Moreno says that was deliberate.
"Those cases are so extreme and they are so horrible but at the same time
what we were hearing [from girls] in our studies is this is something that is happening
all the time to a lot of us and we want to know what else can happen," said Moreno.
"If we don't kill ourselves are we at risk for something else?" is a frequent question
Moreno hears. "Is there something else bad that happens to me as a victim, or does
something bad happen to that bully that's been picking on me?"
Girls who experience cyberbullying are encouraged to get help by visiting their
college clinic to talk about their experience, their growing feelings of depression or
their substance abuse.
"There are potential health impacts," says Moreno. "This should be in the public
health arena. Girls should not feel like they can't go to clinic and talk about their
feelings."
Atlanta advocate Helen Ho agrees. She's the founding director of Asian Americans
Advancing Justice and spends a good deal of her time on cyberbullying
issues. Research shows Asian Americans are digitally bullied at least four times as
often as other ethnicities.
One of the frustrating things about being an advocate against cyberbullying," says
Ho, "is that a lot of people don't realize how intense cyberbullying can be in this kind
of high-technology age and the physical as well as mental impact it can have."
"For many of us who are adults and didn't grow up with online access, we can see
that distinction between online and offline very clearly," adds Moreno. "But for youth,

there isn't a distinction. We used to say either online or real world, and youth say 'No,
no, you don't get it, online IS my real world'."

11 Alarming Reasons Why You Should Talk

about Cyberbullying With Your Teen
February 24, 2015 8:34 AM MST
My 16-year-old niece was in tears the other day. Why? Because of a mean-spirited comment
posted about her on Yik Yak. Who posted it? Theres no way to know, its anonymous. Why
did the person post it? Not sure, but if it was to make my already-sensitive niece feel selfconscious, humiliated and dislikedit worked. What makes it worse, is that the bully called
out my niece by her full name, so everyone in their class knew exactly who was being
attacked, but the bullys identity was completed protected.
In a way, its no surprise that cyberbullying, the use of electronic communication to torment a
person, is an ever-growing problem that peaks during the teenage years. To the bully, its
low-risk, with a huge payoffan enormous audience and immediate response. But to the
target, cyberbullying is an inescapable nightmare that is difficult to conquerhow do you
defend yourself against someone you cant see, yet is everywhere?
What many teens (and their parents) dont realize is that cyberbullying can have a longlasting negative impact on both the target and the bully. Fortunately, parents can protect their
teens just be talking to them about it and remaining supportive. Still need convincing? Here
are 11 reasons why you should be talking to your teen about cyberbullying:
1. Your teen has probably already experienced cyberbullying.
Did you know that 33% of teenagers have been victims of cyberbullying, 4% have been
cyberbullied regularly for 3-6 months, and 3% for over a year? Additionally, over 85% of
teenagers (13-17) have a social networking account and at least 55% of them claim they
have witnessed cyberbullying online. With those statistics, its more than likely your teenager
has encountered cyberbullying in some wayeither as a target, the perpetrator or as a

bystander. However, most teens dont tell their parents when it happensgiving parents a
false sense of security. In fact, only 7% of U.S. parents are worried about cyberbullying and
just 1 out of every 6 are even aware of how serious cyberbullying really is.
2. Cyberbullying can be detrimental to your teens health.
Remember the classic schoolyard comeback, sticks and stones may break my bones but
names can never hurt me? Unfortunately, we know now that nothing could be further from
the truth. Name-calling and verbal harassment actually can harm us quite deeplyboth
psychologically and physically.
Studies show that cyberbullying can have catastrophic effects upon the self-esteem and
social lives of both targets and their tormentors. Both are more likely than their peers to suffer
from anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and in extreme cases, bullying can lead to
thoughts about suicide. Cyberbullying has also been associated with physical ailments such
as sleep problems, headaches and skin problems. According to a study done by Boston
Childrens Hospital, these negative mental and physical problems may actually persist well
into adulthood, even when the bullying occurred at a young age. In one study, adults who
were bullied as youth were three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts or inclinations
3. Cyberbullying can cause more damage than face-to-face bullying.
Cruel comments, nasty rumors and humiliating photos posted online spread faster, get seen
by more people and have a longer shelf life than anything a bully can do in person. So
instead of a one-time encounter, targets (and their peers) may read or view the attack over
and over again and the harm is re-inflicted with each reading or viewing. It also opens up the
opportunity for others to join in and gang up on the target.
Additionally, because cyberbullies dont see the faces of their targets, they may not
understand the full consequences of their actions and have a lower sense of personal
accountability for the damage they cause. Without these natural inhibitors, online bullying
has the potential of going way too far. However, if a teen believes that the adults in his life will
hold him accountable for his involvement with cyberbullying, he is less likely to do it.
4. Bystanders tend to just stand by.
According to the Youth Voice Project, over half of the mistreated youth they surveyed
reported that their peers did nothing about the situation and ignored what was going on. In
another study, 95 percent of the teens that witnessed bullying on social media reported that
others, like them, ignored the behavior. Many teens fear that speaking up will put them in the
line of fire. However, the best way they can help a peer being targeted is not by confronting
the bully but rather through quiet displays of social support such as spending time with the
targeted student, talking to them, encouraging them, and listening to them. These small
actions have been shown to be a powerful protective factor in mitigating the negative effects
associated with cyberbullying.
5. Cyberbullies can be people you know and trust.
Cyberbullies often target people they know well such as friends, former friends, and former
dating partnerspeople they have enough private information about to intensely embarrass
and humiliate. In these cases, bullies are largely driven by revenge, achieving status,
enforcing norms of conformity and competing for girlfriends or boyfriends. In many cases,
cyberbullies are able to remain anonymous, so targets may not know whom they can trust.
Not surprisingly, this harms relationships and leave targets feeling lonely and friendless.
6. Cyberbullying can drive your teen to drink.
A 2011 study, found that both cyberbullying targets and perpetrators are more likely to use
marijuana, participate in binge drinking5 and develop other alcohol and drug dependencies.

7. Cyberbullying can hurt your teen's academic performance.

On any given day, it is estimated that as many as 160,000 students skip school out of fear of
facing their nasty nemesis or to avoid showing their face after a humiliating rumor has been
posted about them online. While missing school may not be too alarming, it has been
identified as often leading to delinquency, dropping out and other undesirable outcomes.
8. Cyberbullying can get your teen (and you) into serious trouble.
Almost 75% of teens dont realize that the things they post online could have severe
consequences both at school and with the law8. In some states, cyberbullies may be
suspended from school or kicked off of sports teams. In other states, cyberbullying is
considered a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and sometimes with a fine
as steep as $10,000. Parents may also be held liable for what their kids post on Facebook
and other social media sites. And, if posts are sexual in nature, teens risk getting registered
as a sex offender, a status that could haunt them for years to come, yet 1 in 5 teens have
posted sexually suggestive or nude photos.
10. Cyberbullying is difficult to avoid.
95% of our teenagers are connected to the Internet, and over half of them never turn their
phones off. This means cyberbullies can attack anytime, anywhere. And they do. With no
place to run, targets can feel helpless and hopeless.
11. Cyberbullying begets more cyberbullyingor worse.
66% of teens who have witnessed online cruelty have also witnessed others joining in and
21% say they were the ones that actually joined in. Similarly, adolescents who believe that
their friends are involved with cyberbullying are more likely to cyberbully others themselves.
Even the targets tend to join in. One study of over 3,000 students found that 38% of bully
victims feel vengeful and 37% are angry, particularly male victims. Many of these targets later
become the aggressor, often in an attempt to fight back, perpetuating the behavior. Then
there are the extreme cases, when youth who are bullied retaliate through violent measures.
In 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied.
The first step in countering the negative impact of cyberbullying is proactively reaching out to
your teens to discuss the harmful effects of cyberbullying and what they can do to protect
themselves from it.

Crime Watch: Tips to help your child

avoid cyberbullying
BY CARMEN
GONZALEZ CALDWELL
SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD

The following information was provided by one of our partners AT&T Kelly Starling:
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), one in three
students say they have been bullied at school. The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
Survey found that nationwide, 19 percent of students had been bullied on school property
during the 12 months before the survey, while nearly 15 percent had been bullied
electronically in that same time period.
While face-to-face bullying is still common, cyberbullying bullying via email, text
messages, instant messaging, chat rooms, social media sites, videos, and pictures is on
the rise, according to BullyStatistics.org. With most kids today carrying a mobile device, kids
who are cyberbullied have a harder time getting away from the behavior because:

 Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or
she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night.
Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to
a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source.
Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult after
they have been posted or sent.
In light of Pink Shirt Day (Feb. 25), a national and local observance to encourage people to
take a stand against bullying, AT&T has compiled a list of tips and tools that can help parents
protect their children from cyberbullying and create awareness around the problem.

Anti-Bullying Tips and Tools

Take advantage of parental controls. Ask your provider about parental controls available to
you. For example, AT&T has Smart Limits which allows parents to block unwanted calls and
texts from up to 30 numbers and restrict texting and data usage during specified times of the
day.
Be aware of what your kids are doing online. Talk with your kids about cyberbullying and
other online issues regularly.
Know the sites your kids visit and their online activities. Ask where theyre going, what
theyre doing and who theyre doing it with.

Tell your kids that as a responsible parent, you may review their online communications if
you think there is a reason for concern.
Ask for their passwords, but tell them youll only use them in case of emergency.
Ask to friend or follow your kids on social media sites or ask another trusted adult to do
so.
Encourage your kids to tell you immediately if they, or someone they know, is being
cyberbullied. Let them know you will not take away their device if they confide in you about a
problem.

 Establish rules about appropriate use of computers, cellphones and other technology.
Be clear about what sites they can visit and what they are permitted to do when theyre
online. Show them how to be safe online.
Help them be smart about what they post or say. Tell them not to share anything that could
hurt or embarrass themselves or others.
Encourage kids to think about who they want to see the information and pictures they post
online. Think about how people who arent friends could use the information.
Remind them to keep their passwords safe and not to share them with friends because
sharing that information could compromise their control over their online identities and
activities.

Dealing with cyberbullying: top tips for schools

To tie in with Anti-bullying Week 2013, Zurich Municipal's Martin Clemmit offers
some bullying prevention tips for schools

The title for Anti-bullying Week 2013 is 'The Future is Ours - Safe, Fun and
Connected'. Particularly concerned with cyberbullying, it calls on children
and young people to "take the lead" in creating a future without bullying
through the use of new technologies to promote positive communication.
Cyberbullying is like conventional bullying, but there are important
differences due to it being carried out online. It can be conducted
anonymously, can involve very large groups of people and because it is
unconstrained by time or location, it can happen 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. Because it is a relatively recent phenomenon, there is limited data
on the subject. What evidence there is however would suggest it is a
growing trend that affects a "large proportion" of young people, according to
Martin Clemmit, risk consultant at Zurich Municipal.

"The Annual Cyberbullying Survey, undertaken by anti-bullying charity Ditch

the Label, reveals seven in 10 respondents have been victims of
cyberbullying, with 37% experiencing it on a highly frequent basis. With
wide-spread use of mobile devices amongst young people opportunities to
bully and be bullied are increasing," says Clemmit.
So what can be done to help minimise the risk of cyberbullying? Here
Clemmit offers some tips for students and schools on how to prevent it from
happening, and how to deal with it effectively when it does.
What schools can do to prevent bullying
There should be an active effort by schools to promote awareness of the
penalties for cyberbullying.

Reporting of it should also be made easy, and supplementary reporting

mechanisms, such as pupil ambassadors, employed. Information should
also be provided about external support agencies.
New technologies are being developed all the time, and so a constant
effort must be made to stay informed about young people's use of
technologies. As part of this, there should be an active effort to promote esafety and digital literacy.
Students should be reminded of the need to engage in responsible online
behaviour in this context (for example: keeping their password secure, being
cautious of new technologies such as wearable devices). Existing antibullying policies should be periodically reviewed and updated.
Children and young people should be helped to understand what exactly
constitutes bullying in its different forms, as well as its impact, through
assemblies and workshops. They should be given tips on how to respond
and informed of who they can turn to for help.
For teachers, non-teaching staff, governors and parents there should be
regular anti-bullying training. One person, such as a school governor,
should take the lead in the development of anti-bullying measures.

Four things students can do to prevent bullying

1) Never give out personal details online, such as your real name, address,
age or phone number. Even posting information about which school you
attend can help the potential bully find out more.

2) In addition to making sure you don't post your personal details online,
make sure to keep your actual profile private, or at least ensure that only
known friends can view it.
3) Make sure you are familiar with the security measures made available to
you by the various social networks. Take particular care to ensure you
understand how to block numbers and email addresses.
4) Be careful about even the most basic of information. Whilst the
temptation may be to share everything about your life online, you should try
and avoid putting anything there that could get twisted or used in a
manipulative way.
Four things students can do when bullying happens
1) Talk to someone you can trust and tell them what has occurred.

2) Keep copies of any abusive texts, emails, messages that are received
with a record of the date and time. Take screenshots or retain chat logs.
With cyberbullying there is always a trail and keeping records can be very
useful in helping to investigate the incident.
3) Try not to reply to any messages as it will often only encourage the bully.
Equally, refrain from interjecting on somebody's behalf, or get involved by
commenting. Report it instead.
4) The block button is there for a reason, so don't be afraid to use it if you
need to. If the abuse persists, and you have already informed the
authorities, you may need to consider temporarily disabling your profile, or
even removing it altogether.
By using these prevention strategies and techniques, schools can more
confidently harness the positive powers of social media as a learning tool
in the classroom or for communicating with parents. Technologies and

social media bring many benefits to schools and students which shouldn't
be ignored for fear of the risks.
Martin Clemmit is a risk consultant at Zurich Municipal.
Content on this page is provided by Zurich Municipal supporter of the
school leadership and management hub.

News & Events

Home > Lifestyle > Family > News & Events

Published: Saturday September 6, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM

Updated: Saturday September 6, 2014 MYT 7:58:52 AM

Family dinners may help kids cope

with cyber-bullying
BY KATHRYN DOYLE

Interaction with the family may help children cope with Internet-bullying, says study.
Like victims of face-to-face bullying, kids who experience cyber-bullying are vulnerable to
mental health and substance use problems but spending more time communicating with
their parents may help protect them from these harmful consequences, a new study
suggests.
For example, the researchers found that regular family dinners seemed to help kids cope
with online bullying. But they say talk time with parents in cars or other settings can also help
protect against the effects of cyber-bullying.
In a way, cyber-bullying is more insidious because its so hard to detect, says lead author
Frank J. Elgar of the Institute for Health and Social Policy at McGill University in Montreal.
Its hard for teachers and parents to pick up on, Elgar says.
He and his team used voluntary, anonymous survey data from more than 18,000 teens at 49
schools in Wisconsin. About one in five students say theyd been bullied on the Internet or by
text messaging at least once over the past year. The good news is that most of the kids in
this sample from Wisconsin had not been cyber-bullied, Elgar says.
Cyber-bullying was more common for girls than for boys, for kids whod been victims of faceto-face bullying, and for those who themselves had bullied other kids in person. Cyberbullying tended to increase as students got older.
Youngsters whod been cyber-bullied were more likely to also report mental health problems
like anxiety, self-harm, thoughts of suicide, fighting, vandalism and substance use problems,
according to results in JAMA Pediatrics.
Almost 20% of the kids reported an episode of depression, while around five percent
reported suicide attempts or misuse of over the counter or prescription drugs.
Teens who were often cyber-bullied were more than twice as likely to have been drunk,
fought, vandalised property, or had suicidal thoughts, and were more than four times as likely
to have misused drugs than those who were never cyber-bullied.
One survey question asked how many times each week the teen ate the evening meal with
his or her family.

As the number of weekly family dinners increased, the differences in mental health issues for
kids who were or were not cyber-bullied decreased.
Its hard for parents to know where kids are spending time online on their smartphone,
laptop or other device, says Catherine P. Bradshaw of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health in Baltimore.
Its more challenging for parents to be able to monitor, she says.
Bradshaw wrote a commentary that was published in the same issue of the journal, along
with the researchers paper.
We dont know exactly what those parents were talking about at dinner, but we do know they
were spending more time together face to face, she says.
Family discourse can happen in many settings, including at dinner or while driving around in
the car, she notes.
If parents want to try to figure out how many nights a week should I turn off the TV and
spend time with my kids, its nice to see data on this, she says.
Parents who have an opportunity to talk to their kids about bullying problems should
emphasise that it wasnt the victims fault and that you shouldnt hit back or retaliate, says
Bradshaw.
The more contact and communication you have with young people, the more opportunities
they have to express problems they have and discuss coping strategies, Elgar says.
Essentially the relationships between victimization and all other mental health outcomes
were lessened with more frequent family dinners.

Family dinners are a proxy indicative of a range of other contextual factors that affect kids
relating to family contact open communication, he says. Many families arent able to have
family dinners together, but that doesnt mean the kids are out of luck or that communication
cant happen, he adds.
It would be wrong to focus solely on family dinners as the active ingredient in all this, says
Elgar.
The message that comes through for us is to talk to your kids, he says. Unless you take
time to check in, a lot goes undetected. Reuters

Effects of cyber-bullying
Children attacking children behind the anonymity of the computer is a growing problem.
Cyber-bullying has led to kids being depressed and some have even resorted to taking their
own lives.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/02/health/cyberbullying-in-college/
http://www.examiner.com/article/11-alarming-reasons-why-you-should-talk-aboutcyberbullying-with-your-teen
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/communityvoices/article10610531.html
https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/newsroom/police-support-internet-safety-day/
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/ip-wat090513.php
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/partner-zone-zurich/cyberbullying-top-tipsschools
http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Family/NewsAndEvents/2014/09/06/Family-dinners-mayhelp-kids-cope-with-cyberbullying/