Cyber bullying, using the Internet, cell phones, or other forms of information technology to bully others, is a dangerous and easy way for girls to bully other girls and put teens at risk. While most girls use the Internet for friendly communication, cyber bullying is on the rise. Cyber bullies use the Internet to send intimidating and threatening emails to others, create hostile Web sites, post inaccurate and embarrassing information in blogs, ignore kids who send them messages, and pose as people other than themselves in chat room. They may also upload less-than-flattering photos of their victims online and through their cell phones.
Although cyber bullying is newer than traditional bullying such as name calling, exclusion, and prank phone calls, it is just as cruel, and its consequences can be just as horrifying. Here's one sad example. In October 2006, a thirteen-year-old Missouri girl committed suicide after being bullied through the Internet by a friend’s mother. The mother posed as a boy who was interested in the teenager in order to find out what the thirteen-year-old was saying about her own daughter. Although the communication started out harmlessly enough, the mother soon began sending nasty emails to the thirteen-year-old, saying that the girl wasn’t nice to her friends and that she was fat and a slut. The messages proved to be too much for the girl, and she ended her life.
Understanding why kids cyber bully is the first step in out how to prevent this form of bullying. Here are some reasons girls may be drawn to cyber bullying:
- Like all bullies, teens who cyber bully feel a need to control others, and the Internet is an easy way to gain control. Girls also take out their anger and revenge on other girls through the use of the Internet and cell phones.
- When teens have nothing constructive to do, the internet is an easy place to find trouble.
- Some girls think tormenting other girls online is funny, and they enjoy the reaction they get from their victims.
- Bullying online can sometimes be a means for girls to climb the social status ladder.
- Cyber bullies have the safety and anonymity of numbers—they can bully in groups at one kid’s home without ever confronting their victim face-to-face.
To avoid having your daughter become a cyber bully or the victim of one, keep the lines of communication open between you and your daughter just as you should to avoid traditional bullying. In addition, as difficult as it may be, you must monitor what your daughter is doing online and with her cell phone.