Cyberbullying is on the rise nationwide, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The research shows there has been an uptick in online bullying, while the number of students who report being bullied have remained the same since 2018. Girls are three times more likely than boys to be harassed on the internet and text messaging, according the study.
In the same study, 78% of the 1,108 college students who were surveyed said they have encountered at least one episode of cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying has become a big part of the conversation because of it’s growing prevalence among teens and young adults, according to Dr. Tory Cox, Clinical Associate Professor, Field Education at USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Cox said the proliferation of social media and cell phones have led to the increase in incidents.
“80% of youth have cell phones and use them regularly. Apps such as Instagram and Twitter have allowed communication and pain to be instantaneous,” said Cox.
According to Cox, teenagers are the most affected by cyberbullying because of their developmental stage.
“Adolescence is a time when so much is being developed in terms of how people think about themselves, what their place is in society. It’s a time of incredible anxiety, chaos and uncertainty,” he said.
Cyberbullying can take many shapes and forms. The perpetrators can engage in a variety of cyberbullying tactics such as threats, identity theft, and “sexting”, taking indecent pictures and sending them out.
Dr. Sameer Hinduja, Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and Professor of Criminology at Florida Atlantic University, said all forms of cyberbullying have a detrimental impact on the victim’s mental health.
“It definitely compromises their emotional and psychological health. It leads to poor behavioral decisions and has been linked to school delinquency and violence," said Hinduja. "It causes low self-esteem, lower academic achievement, lower attendance and increased psychosomatic issues such as headaches, anxiety, depression and eating disorders.”
Schools and government officials are taking steps to raise awareness and adopt policies to reduce the number of cyberbullying incidents.
According to Bryan Joffe, director of education and youth development at a national school superintendents association, schools are taking action by enforcing punishments for cyberbullying such expulsion and suspension.
Several U.S. states, such as Texas and California, have adopted broader cyberbullying laws. Earlier this year, California passed a bill outlining if the cyberbully responsible for harming another student has bad intentions, he or she could face up to one year in jail and up to $1,000 in fines.
The law also states school faculty must undergo virtual training to detect and prevent online bullying.
In addition to these changes, Hinduja said schools should focus on the social and emotional learning of students.
“They need to teach skills that individuals need as they grow up into adulthood to deal with conflict, regulating emotions, having self-control and issues that involve interpersonal interactions,” Hinduja said.
Social media platforms have also been taking a stand in the fight against cyberbullying.
Instagram recently introduced a new feature called “Restrict”, which allows users to secretly block other users from commenting on their posts without that user knowing.
Hinduja said social media companies have become more responsive in the last few years.
“They're devoting more resources towards safety and security and they're also embracing artificial intelligence in order to help them to quickly identify problematic hosts that are hateful or violate the terms of service or the rules that each social media company has,” said Hinduja.
Cox said having a strong support system of family and friends also plays a pivotal role in reducing the psychological impact of cyberbullying.
“Parents need to train their children about the impact of cyber bullying and limit their access early on. They also need to build the self-esteem and give them that sense of security and belonging,” said Cox.
College students who are being cyberbullied should take advantage of mental health services and support groups that are available on their campus, according to Cox.
“It’s really the close-knit circle of friends that a student has that they can rely on for support. Family can be a big support, but they’re usually not here in person, so their extended family on campus becomes important,” said Cox.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a nationwide campaign started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center to raise more awareness about bullying.