Authorities are slowly but surely waking up to the clear and present danger that cyberbullying represents, with 23 states currently officially recognising the term “cyberbullying” within their laws and the remainder largely recognizing the issue at least, by including a definition of electronic harassment in their anti-bullying laws.
This guide to cyberbullying and how to stop it, provides some useful but perhaps alarming statistics regarding the prevalence of the problem.
One of the many issues attached to what is a modern phenomenon with roots that stem from the traditional playground bully, is that with smartphone usage so widespread amongst teens, it is often very difficult to witness the torment by text that the victim is experiencing.
This is why cyberbullying needs to be discussed and addressed in greater detail, if it is going to be successfully tackled.
For more information on preventing cyberbullying and what to do if you’re experiencing cyberbullyingConnectSafely.org and the Cyberbullying Research Center has many resources for teens, parents and educators.
