The Latest on Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying in the News

Have you ever been the victim of “cyberbullying?” According to a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, you’ve been on the receiving end of cyberbullying if anyone has ever:

• spread a rumor about you online;
• taken a private email, IM or text message you sent them and forwarded it on or posted it where others could see it;
• sent you a threatening or aggressive IM, email or text message; or
• posted an embarrassing picture of you online without your permission.

If you answered yes to one of these questions, you’re not alone. 32% of teens ages 12-17 polled have experienced at least one of these situations.

There’s so much hype about cyberbullying these days, but what’s the reality? Is it really a new epidemic? Is it worse than the kinds of bullying that teens in past generations had to endure when it came to emotional warfare and physical bullying?

Here are a few interesting stats from the Pew/Internet study, released on June 27:

• girls are more likely than boys to be victims of cyberbullying
• users of social network sites (like MySpace or Facebook) are more likely to experience cyberbullying
• 17% of girls say they’ve had a private communication they’ve written be forwarded on to others without their permission
• 15% of girls say they’ve received threatening or aggressive online messages
• 16% of girls say they’ve had a rumor spread about them online

I thought it was interesting to read that, despite all the attention in the media about cyberbullying, most teens (67%) say that bullying and harassment happens more offline than online.

When I was a teenager, bullying was rampant, at least the kind of emotional bullying that girls tend to practice…the “relational aggression” that includes things like ostracizing, spreading rumors, telling secrets, putting down, name-calling. Looking back at my years in high school and middle school, the most basic tools for this type of bullying were notes passed in class and the occasional embarrassing Polaroid (yes, I’m talking pre-digital camera days). Nothing was immediate. Rumors took time to spread, it was literally mouth to mouth instead of the blast zone that can be covered in the blink of an eye by pushing the “send” button on your email.

What are your thoughts on the statistics released by this study above. Does this reflect your experience?

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Olivia’s Letters: A Cyberbullying Story

There was a really interesting story about a young victim of cyberbullying on the Today Show last month. Olivia Gardner was in sixth grade when she had an epileptic attack at school and the torment began. Olivia was tortured by bullies, who even went so far as to create an “Olivia Hater’s” page on MySpace. The bullying got so bad that Olivia eventually transferred schools, twice, but unfortunately the bullying followed her, growing in momentum.

That’s when two teenage sisters, Emily and Sarah Buder, heard about what was happening with Olivia. They began a letter writing campaign to Olivia, encouraging their friends to write letters of support and love to her. Amazingly enough, over time word of the campaign spread all over the world, and “Olivia’s Letters” have come in the thousands, from all over the world. Olivia is now “recovering” from her experience, thanks to the support of thousands of people who have written to tell her they care for her. She is being homeschooled by her mom. You can watch the original Today Show piece here.

What an incredible story…it’s such a testament to the whole notion that the smallest idea can have a huge impact. That two teen girls started an international campaign through the simple act of writing a letter is just the coolest thing ever. And hopefully Olivia’s story will help other victims of bullying know that they’re not alone and that they can get through it, no matter how bleak things look.

Read more about Olivia’s story in this article in the Marin Independent Journal. If you want to write a letter to Olivia yourself, start your letter off with the two words, “Dear Olivia” and send your note of encouragement to Olivia’s Letters, c/o 293 Corte Madera Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941 or email .