Cyber-bullying used to involve sending threatening texts or e-mails, but the class of 2008 are finding social networks to be a fertile, and occasionally dangerous breeding ground, as Ian Hardy found out.

A teenager being bullied by two other people Cyber-bullies can hide their identity on the internet It does not take much for a teenager’s cyber universe to spin out of control.

A fight at school, an online misunderstanding, and within minutes he or she can become the victim of a cyber-bully campaign, thanks to the fact that millions of children are connected by computers and gadgets.

photo credit: ecentor

“Cyber-bullying is when one child or teen targets another for embarrassment, humiliation, fear, blackmail. Something designed to hurt the other using an interactive technology,” said security, privacy and cyberspace lawyer and executive director of WiredSafety, Parry Aftab.

“That’s made a big difference because kids have learned that they can use the internet as a weapon.”

It’s more harsh over the internet because they don’t have to see your reaction when they say those mean words to your face… Abby, cyber-bully victim

Cyber-bullies can hide behind anonymous internet accounts, and they do not need big muscles, just the ability to type.

Yet the consequences can be far reaching.

“It’s more harsh over the internet because they don’t have to see your reaction when they say those mean words to your face. So over the internet you’re more likely to say the meanest possible things you can say, and then you don’t even regret it, ” said cyber-bully victim Abby.

“I would get messages on IM [Instant Messenger] and they would be ‘you’re really mean’ or ‘you’re ugly’, until I just couldn’t take it any more,” says Ralph who was also a victim of cyber-bullying.

This is a great article from Across the Ocean, it shows that CyberBullying is a world wide problem and that we have to be proactive when it comes to protecting our children from cyberbullying…

photo credit: ecentor

We are getting ready to release a brand new book on CyberBullying with the next few weeks so stay tuned and will post a pre-launch date soon…

Your Online Security Authority

Bill Wardell

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OSA Technorati Tags: children, computers, CyberBullying

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