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Number of Kids Harassed Online Soars
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| Wednesday, December 20th, 2006 | Emily Halevy | CWK Producer |
“I’d block them, but then they’d have another screen name and they’d be like 'you’re a whore, you can’t get away from this' ... It would just bring me to tears and I would cry because I couldn’t get away from it as much as I tried. ”
– Erica Bryant, 18 years old
On the playground, the school bus and now even on the computer, bullying is a daily occurrence for many children.
In fact, new studies show the number of kids victimized by online harassment has increased 50 percent since 2000.
Erica Bryant’s harassment started at school. Everyday she says, "They’d call me a slut, call me a whore."
The bullying became too much, so her parents decided to homeschool her.
"So, sure, a huge part of the problem was resolved in that she didn’t have to face that trauma everyday, she didn’t have to sit in the lunchroom by herself," explains her mom, Linda Perloff, "but what we didn’t expect was the power of the Internet…we didn’t expect the instant messaging."
Erica explains her frustration: "I’d block them, but then they’d have another screen name and they’d be like ‘you’re a whore, you can’t get away from this. It would just bring me to tears and I would cry because I couldn’t get away from it, as much as I tried."
Experts say cyber bullying can be even more painful and pervasive than face-to-face harassment.
"You can never really get away from it," explains pediatrician Dr. Ken Haller, "because even if you’re not on the Internet checking out what people are saying about you, other people are."
But, experts say, there are ways to minimize attacks online.
First, make sure your child doesn’t post anything revealing.
"If they’re thinking, I’m just putting this out there for my friends to read, they don’t realize that anyone can pick this up and someone who might be a potential bully would say, ‘Ah! I’m going to use this. This is great’," says Haller.
Experts say if the cyber bullying doesn’t stop - print the messages out and show them to the bully’s parents. If the messages are threatening, go to the police.
"I always encourage parents to talk to your local law enforcement agency and run it by them," says Judy Freeman, a school social worker. "Many times they say, ‘well, we really can’t do anything,’ but if it’s - if it borders onto harassment or if there’s some threat involved, they will become involved."
Erica is now in a new school. The harassment has stopped- at least for her.
"If I see it happen to other girls I’m not gonna sit by and watch," she says. "I’m going to get involved and put an end to it."
What We Need To Know
- Limit your children’s screen time to two hours a day. That includes television, video games and the computer. (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Have your children think about what they post online and how other people could react. What could initially be viewed as something funny and just for friends could easily become ammunition for bullies. (Ken Haller, M.D., pediatrician)
- If your child is being bullied online, have them stop opening, reading and responding to the messages. (staysafe.org)
- Print out and keep all messages, so there is some history if the problem escalates. (staysafe.org)
- If the problem does escalate into threats, contact the police. (Judy Freeman, school social worker)
Resources
- Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc
- University of New Hampshire
