Cyber Bullying Behaviours among Middle and High School Students

Transcription

1 TSpace Research Repository tspace.library.utoronto.ca Cyber Bullying Behaviours among Middle and High School Students Mishna, F., Cook, C., Gadalla, T., Daciuk J., Solomon, S. Version Post-print/accepted manuscript This article may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the AOA journal. It is not the copy of record. Citation (published version) Mishna, F., Cook, C., Gadalla, T., Daciuk, J., & Solomon, S. (2010). Cyber bullying behaviors among middle and high school students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(3), , DOI: /j x How to cite TSpace items Always cite the published version, so the author(s) will receive recognition through services that track citation counts, e.g. Scopus. If you need to cite the page number of the TSpace version (original manuscript or accepted manuscript) because you cannot access the published version, then cite the TSpace version in addition to the published version using the permanent URI (handle) found on the record page.

2 Title: Cyber Bullying Behaviours among Middle and High School Students Authors: Faye Mishna, Charlene Cook, Tahany Gadalla, Joanne Daciuk, and Steven Solomon Running Head: Cyber Bullying Behaviours Date: April 14, 2009 This article may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the AOA journal. It is not the copy of record American Orthopsychiatric Association DOI: /j x

3 Cyber Bullying Behaviours among Middle and High School Students 2 Abstract: Little research has been conducted that comprehensively examines cyber bullying with a large and diverse sample. The present study examines the prevalence, impact, and differential experience of cyber bullying among a large and diverse sample of middle and high school students (n=2186) from a large urban centre. The survey examined technology use, cyber bullying behaviours, and the psychosocial impact of bullying and being bullied. About half (49.5%) of students indicated they had been bullied online and 33.7% indicated they had bullied others online. Most bullying was perpetrated by and to friends and participants generally did not tell anyone about the bullying. Participants reported feeling angry, sad, and depressed after being bullied online. Participants bullied others online because it made them feel as though they were funny, popular and powerful, although many indicated feeling guilty afterwards. Greater attention is required to understand and reduce cyber bullying within children s social worlds and with the support of educators and parents. Key Words: Internet, cyber bullying, technology, victimization

4 Cyber Bullying Behaviours among Middle and High School Students 3 The exponential growth of electronic and computer based communication and information sharing during the last decade has radically changed individuals social interactions, learning strategies and choice of entertainment. Most notably, technology has created new communication tools. The tools are particularly prioritized by young people, who extensively utilize websites, instant messaging, web cams, s, chat rooms, social networking sites and text messaging (Boyd, 2008; Bryant, Sanders-Jackson, & Smallwood, 2006; Palfrey & Gasser, 2008). Youth spend an average of 2-4 hours online each day (Media Awareness Network, 2005), and it has been suggested that the majority of youth view electronic communication tools as essential for their social interactions (Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston, 2008). The Internet provides innumerable possibilities for growth among children and youth, including benefits such as social support, identity exploration, and development of interpersonal and critical thinking skills, as well as educational benefits generated from expansive access to knowledge, academic support, and worldwide cross-cultural interactions (Blais, Craig, Pepler, & Connolly, 2008; Jackson et al, 2006; Tynes, 2007; Valkenburg & Peter, 2007). The Internet is, however, concurrently a potential site for abuse and victimization (Mitchell, Finkelhor & Wolak, 2003). The Internet and other forms of communication technology place children and youth at risk of being bullied online. Cyber bullying comprises willful and repeated harm (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009, p. 5) inflicted towards another and includes the use of , cell phones, text messages, and Internet sites to threaten, harass embarrass, or socially exclude (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009; Patchin & Hinduja, 2006; Williams & Guerra, 2007). Cyber bullying further encompasses the use of electronic media to sexually harass (Hinduja & Patchin, 2008; Shariff & Johnny, 2007), including distributing unsolicited text or photos of a sexual nature or requesting

5 4 sexual acts either online or offline (Schrock & Boyd, 2008). Although repetition is included in the definition of cyber bullying, the nature of what constitutes repetition with respect to this phenomenon is complex. Occurring in the public domain, cyber bullying by its very nature involves repetition, since material such as , text, or pictures can be distributed widely not only by the perpetrator but by anyone with access (Wendy Craig, personal communication, February 25, 2009). Recent large scale cross-sectional studies demonstrate that cyber bullying is a significant problem (Berson, Berson & Ferron, 2002; Mitchell, Finkelhor & Wolak, 2003a; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004a; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004b). Current evidence indicates that the prevalence of cyber bullying ranges from 9 to 25 percent (Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Li, 2007; Williams & Guerra, 2007). Given such vast potential exposure to cyber bullying, research in this field is imperative to understand and reduce the risks associated with the online world. Reducing online risks for children and youth is especially vital to support the positive elements associated with online activity, particularly the accessibility of information and social support. The pervasiveness of bullying among children and adolescents is well documented. The effects may be far-reaching for children who bully and for those who are victimized, both of whom are at risk of emotional, social, and psychiatric problems that may persist into adulthood (Nansel et al., 2001; O Connell, Pepler, & Craig, 1999). Recognition of the seriousness of bullying has led to the accumulation of a large body of research and numerous school wide interventions throughout the world (Olweus, 1994; Roland, 2000). Although the research on cyber bullying is sparse, due largely to the relative newness of the phenomenon, efforts to document the impact of cyber bullying provide a picture of the significant psychosocial and academic repercussions of cyber bullying as well as the vulnerability of targeted children and youth. Students who were cyber bullied reported feelings of sadness, anxiety, and fear, and an

6 inability to concentrate which affected their grades (Beran & Li, 2005). Youth who were 5 bullied online were more likely to have skipped school, to have had detentions or suspensions, or to have carried a weapon to school (Ybarra, Diener-West & Leaf, 2007). Research has also shown that depression, substance use and delinquency are significantly higher among youth who report experiencing cyber bullying or online sexual solicitation (Mitchell, Ybarra & Finkelhor, 2007). Youth who cyber bully others online are also at high risk. Research suggests that children and youth who were both victimized online and perpetrators of online sexual solicitation and harassment were far more likely to experience high substance use, offline victimization, delinquency and aggression (Ybarra, Espelage & Mitchell, 2007). Additional evidence reveals that youth who perpetrate cyber bullying are more likely to concurrently engage in rule-breaking and to have problems with aggression (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2007). Much of the current literature on cyber bullying has been conducted with small samples (Li, 2007; Raskauskas & Stotlz, 2007) or samples that were quite homogenous regarding participant ethnicity (Hinduja & Patchin, 2008; Kowalski & Limber, 2007). It is vital that this phenomenon be thoroughly explored with a diverse sample, in order to gain a greater understanding of the prevelance and impact of cyber bullying. To date, the few larger studies have not focused on cyber bullying exclusively and therefore have not examined this phenomenon in depth (Finkelor, Mitchell & Wolak, 2000; Williams & Guerra, 2007). In this paper we report on a survey on cyber bullying with a large and diverse sample of students in grades 6, 7, 10 and 11, in a large urban setting. The study reported in the present paper addresses the gap in the literature and is among the first to examine cyber bullying with a large and diverse sample of middle and high school students.

7 Methods 6 This study employed an exploratory, cross-sectional survey design to examine cyber bullying as experienced by students in grades 6, 7, 10 and 11, attending schools in a large Canadian city. These grades were chosen to reflect middle/junior and high school students, respectively, as the school boards felt sampling from grades five to twelve would prove too unwieldy and involve too many disruptions for participating schools. To ensure an inclusive representation of this student population, the survey used a stratified, clustered random sampling design in which the school was the sampling unit. The sample was stratified by geographical region and Board of Education. The study included two Boards of Education; Board 1 and Board 2. Table 1a presents the total number of schools and the number of sampled schools from each Board. Due to its far greater size, the sample drawn from Board 2 was further stratified by geographical region/quadrant; northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest. Schools were selected at random from the list of schools in each region. Some of the selected schools declined to participate. For each school that declined to participate, a replacement school was randomly selected from a list of other schools with similar student enrolment in the same region. Thirty-three schools (20 secondary and 13 elementary/middle) participated. All students in the targeted grades of the selected schools were invited to participate but only those who received parental consent participated. Response rate was 35 percent in grades 6 and 7 and 17 percent in grades 10 and 11. No data were collected from non-participating students. It is difficult to conclude if differences exist between students who participated and those who did not. However, the demographic distribution in the final sample resembles that in the population (see Table 1b). The number of students who completed the survey was 2,186. The study received approval from the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board. Insert Tables 1a and 1b approximately here

8 The questions in the survey were informed by various sources including information 7 gathered in focus groups that had been conducted by the research team with students in the targeted grades. An extensive literature review, a critical review of previous surveys obtained from researchers, and expert consultation held with practitioners, academics, and school administrators also informed questionnaire development. An identical questionnaire was administered to all students, with the exception of the wording and terminology of two questions related to online sexual content and online contact of a sexual nature. The wording for grades six and seven slightly differed from the wording for grades ten and eleven, to ensure age-appropriate language. The questionnaire was pilot tested for clarity, format and length with 25 grade 6 and 7 students and 35 grade 10 and 11 students. The pencil and paper questionnaire was administered to students by research assistants during class hours. The questionnaire took approximately 30 minutes to complete. Students who participated were provided with a pen from the sponsoring university as a gift of appreciation. Frequency distributions and cross-tabulations of all variables were used to describe students experiences with technology use, involvement in cyber bullying and ways in which these experiences impacted their lives. Chi-square tests (n=2186) were used to test bivariate associations between students demographic characteristics and variables measuring their cyber bullying experiences. The relationships between age, gender, language spoken at home, and Internet behaviour were explored. Further, given that research on traditional bullying indicates that bullying behaviour is influenced by gender (Cullerton-Sen & Crick, 2005; Prinstein, Boergers & Vernberg, 2001), and ethnicity (Eslea & Mukhtar, 2000; Peskin, Tortolero & Markham, 2006) it was important to explore the relationship between gender, language spoken at home, and types of

9 cyber bullying. Examining these relationships is vital to the exploration of differential risk 8 between groups and to inform the development of Internet risk reduction interventions. Measures The questionnaires included general questions about the socio-demographic characteristics of students and their families, technology use, and experience of cyber bullying. Socio-demographic Characteristics Questions related to individual and family characteristics included grade, gender, age, ownership or rental status of the family residence, typical academic achievement in school, and years at current school. Questions related to possible racial and/or cultural marginalization included language spoken at home, country of birth or years in Canada, and parents country of birth. Technology Use Technology use was measured using items including: how many hours spent on a computer daily; the frequency with which computers were used for activities such as homework, communicating with friends, playing games and sending pictures; which websites were visited most frequently; if passwords were shared among friends; and how often cell phones were used to talk to friends, text message, and send photographs. Experience of Cyber Bullying In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of online behaviour, the questionnaire involved a series of questions about perpetrating or being the victim of various online behaviours, without explicitly defining the behaviours as bullying. Participants were asked to indicate if they had experienced or perpetuated any of the following in the three months prior to the administration of the survey: calling someone names, threatening, spreading rumours, sending a private picture without consent, pretending to be someone else, receiving or sending

10 unwanted sexual text or photos, or being asked to do something sexual. Following these 9 sections, a general question was asked to see if respondents felt that online they bullied or were bullied, with the following definition of cyber bullying: cyber bullying includes the use of , cell phones, text messages, and Internet sites to be mean to, make fun of, or scare people. Participants were asked who they bullied/were bullied by, how their experience as a perpetrator and/or victim made them feel, if they had ever witnessed cyber bullying, and, for those who had been victimized, if they told someone about the bullying or confronted the perpetrator. The questionnaire also included questions asking participants to identify the characteristics (such as sexuality, race, appearance, family, etc.) that they believed resulted in their bullying or that were the reason they bullied others. Additionally, participants were asked if they experienced traditional bullying as a perpetrator and/or victim. Results Demographics Slightly more than half the sample (55%) was female. Participants were drawn from a diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups, as only two-thirds of the sample (66%) had been born in Canada and almost half of the sample (44%) spoke a language other than English at home, most notably languages from China/South East Asia (20%), the Middle East/India (8%), Eastern Europe (5%) and Western Europe (2%). Further information regarding demographics is detailed in Table 2. Insert table 2 approximately here Technology Use and Internet Safety Knowledge Almost all participants (99%) had a computer in their home, and 98% of all participants used the computer for at least one hour daily. Additionally, over half of participants (53%) had cell phones. Approximately two-thirds of participants (65%) indicated they communicated with

11 friends online every day, and over half (55%) of participants revealed that they used their cell 10 phones daily to speak to friends. One third of participants (32%) have given their online passwords to friends, and only one-quarter of participants accurately stated that content uploaded online cannot be completely deleted. Additional detail concerning technology use, Internet safety knowledge, and online behaviour results is provided in Table 3. Insert table 3 approximately here Experience of being Cyber Bullied Across bullying behaviours, half of the students (49.5%) indicated that they had been bullied online in the previous three months. Being called names was the most common form, accounting for over one-quarter (27%) of cyber bullying incidents. This was followed by having rumours spread about the participant (22%), having someone pretend to be the participant (18%), being threatened (11%), receiving unwelcome sexual photos or text (10%), being asked to do something sexual (9%), and having had private pictures of themselves distributed without their consent (7%). Two-fifths of bullying took place through instant messages, one-quarter occurred by , and the remainder took place during Internet games (12%) or on social networking sites (10%). Over one-third of online bullying (36%) was perpetrated by friends, followed by a student at their school (22%), a stranger (13%), a student from another school (11%), and unknown (11%). While twenty-one percent of students indicated that being bullied online did not bother them, others reported feeling angry (16%), embarrassed (8%), sad (7%), or scared (5%). More than half of the participants who were cyber bullied (52%) indicated that they did not do anything in response, while others confronted the person (20%), told a friend (13%), told a parent (8%), or told a teacher (3%). It is striking that in the majority of the cyber bullying incidents (89%) the students reported knowing the identity of the perpetrator and most

12 11 participants indicated that the perpetrator was someone they considered a friend or a student at the respondent s school or at another school. Additionally, one-quarter of students indicated they had witnessed an act of cyber bullying online. More than one-tenth of participants (11%) believed they were bullied online because of their appearance, followed by race (6%), school performance (5%), other (4%), gender (3%), sexuality (2%), family (2%), and disability (2%). Cyber Bullying Others In the previous three months, just over one-third (33.7%) of participants indicated that they had bullied others online. Almost one-quarter (22%) of these incidents involved calling someone names. Other acts of cyber bullying constituted pretending to be someone else (14%), spreading rumours about someone (11%), threatening someone (5%), sending someone s private pictures to someone else (3%), or sending unwelcome sexual pictures or text to someone (2%). Over half (60%) of the bullying behaviour took place through instant messages, followed by social networking sites (15%), (10%), Internet games (10%) and other websites (5%). Friends were the most common targets of the participants cyber bullying behaviour, with 52 percent of bullying aimed at friends. This was followed by another student at school (21%), a stranger (11%), a student in another school (9%), and unknown (6%). While 41 percent of those who cyber bullied indicated that they didn t feel anything in response, other participants who bullied others online relayed feeling guilty (16%), powerful (9%), popular (6%), or better than other students (4%). One quarter of participants (25%) reported that cyber bullying another person made them feel that they were funny, suggesting the bullying had been entertaining for themselves or others.

13 Participants were most likely to indicate that they bullied online because of the target s 12 appearance (6%), other (5%), race (3%), school performance (3%), sexuality (2%), family (2%), disability (1%), and gender (1%). Relationship between Gender, Age, Language Spoken at Home, and Internet Behaviour Although there was no difference in the number of hours spent on the computer per day between girls and boys, the manner in which participants used their computer time varied by gender. At both age groups, girls were more likely to use the computer for homework, to communicate with friends, and to send pictures. At both age groups, boys were more likely to use the computer for Internet games. Girls at both age groups were more likely to give their online passwords to friends than boys. Greater detail regarding this analysis is presented in Table 4. Insert table 4 approximately here Students who spoke a language other than English at home spent more hours on the computer per day than students who spoke English at home. At both age groups, participants who spoke a language other than English at home were more likely to use the computer for homework than participants who spoke English at home. There was no difference in online communication with friends, playing Internet games, or sending pictures online by language spoken at home (see Table 5). Insert table 5 approximately here Relationship between Gender, Age, and Cyber Bullying While there was no difference in having been cyber bullied among girls and boys in grade 6&7 (χ 2 =2.210, p=.137), older girls (grade 10&11) were more likely to be cyber bullied than older boys (χ 2 =6.836, p=.009). Notably, boys and girls were equally likely to have cyber bullied others in both grade 6&7 (χ 2 =1.457, p=.227) and grade 10&11 (χ 2 =.302, p=.583).

14 In addition to these overall findings, it emerged that the type of cyber bullying 13 participants experienced and perpetuated was influenced by gender. Girls in all grades were more likely to have been called names than boys. Older boys were more likely than older girls to have been threatened online. Girls in both age groups were more likely than boys to have had rumours spread about them online. Older girls were more likely than older boys to have had someone send them unwelcome sexual pictures or text, to be asked to do something sexual online, and to have had their private photos distributed online without their consent. Younger boys however, were more likely than younger girls to have been asked to do something sexual online. Greater detail regarding these relationships is provided in Table 6. Insert Table 6 approximately here Older boys were more likely than older girls to have called someone names or to have threatened someone online. Younger boys were more likely than younger girls to have sent unwelcome sexual words or photos to someone else online. Girls were more likely than boys to have spread rumours about someone at both age groups. Additional findings regarding the perpetuation of cyber bullying are detailed in Table 7. Insert Table 7 approximately here Older boys were more likely than older girls to believe they were cyber bullied due to their race (χ 2 =12.074, p<.005) or disability (χ 2 =5.265, p<.05). Older girls were more likely to believe they were cyber bullied due to their sexuality (χ 2 =6.088, p<.05), gender (χ 2 =6.142, p<.05) or appearance (χ 2 =4.991, p<.05). Boys in both age groups were more likely to indicate that they cyber bullied someone because of their race (grade 6&7, χ 2 = 9.087, p<.005; grade 10&11, χ 2 =10.979, p<.005). Younger boys were more likely to indicate that they cyber bullied someone because of their sexuality

15 (χ 2 =5.044, p<.05), whereas older boys were more likely to indicate that they cyber bullied 14 someone because of their family (χ 2 =12.602, p<.0005) or gender (χ 2 =4.437, p<.05). Relationship between Language Spoken at Home and Cyber Bullying Students who spoke English at home were more likely to have been called names, been the subject of rumours, and have someone pretend to be them than those who spoke a language other than English at home. Participants who spoke English at home were also more likely to have been asked to do something sexual. Additional findings are detailed in Table 8. Insert Table 8 approximately here Students who spoke English at home were more likely to have spread rumours online than students who spoke a language other than English at home. No other differences in the perpetuation of cyber bullying were found by language spoken at home (see Table 9). Insert Table 9 approximately here Discussion This research is among the first in-depth investigations of cyber bullying among middle and high-school students in a large city, with a large and diverse sample. According to our results, cyber bullying is a significant problem among middle and high school students. Analyses reveal that students are clearly proficient with and regularly use technology, which corresponds with the literature (Agatson, Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Nie & Hillygus, 2002). The vast majority of respondents appear highly dependent on communication technology for interaction and connection as well as for activities such as homework and games. The findings are supported by evidence which suggests that most youth use the Internet to communicate with others they already know (Gross, 2004; Valkenburg & Peter, 2007) and that this online communication with others who the students know has a positive effect on the quality of their friendships and romantic relationships (Blais, Craig, Pepler & Connolly, 2008; Valkenburg &

16 Peter, 2007). Respondents in the current study were not always knowledgeable, however, 15 about the best ways to remain safe while online. This was made evident by the one-third of participants who had given their online passwords to friends and the three-quarters of participants who did not realize that text or images uploaded to the Internet could remain online indefinitely, even after deletion. A sizeable number of the respondents reported being involved in cyber bullying. Almost half of all participants identified as having been bullied online. This rate is higher than that reported in other studies on cyber bullying (Beran & Li, 2005; Li, 2007; O Connell, Price & Barrow, 2004; Patchin & Hinduja, 2006; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004a). Additionally, one in three respondents admitted to bullying others online, also greater than the rates reported by previous studies (Beran & Li, 2005; Hinduja & Patchin, 2008; Li, 2007; O Connell et al, 2004; Patchin & Hinduja, 2006; Raskauskas & Stotlz, 2007; Williams & Guerra, 2007). There is some research in which findings approach the prevalence of online bullying or harassment of others found in the current study (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004b; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2007). The high rate of reported cyber bullying victimization and perpetration in this study may be due in part to the nature of the survey. A review of questions employed by several other surveys (Hinduja & Patchin, 2008; Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Li, 2007; Raskauskas & Stotlz, 2007; Williams & Guerra, 2007; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004a; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2007), revealed that after being provided a definition of online bullying or harassment, students in these studies were asked to identify whether they thought they were bullied or harassed by others or whether they thought they bullied or harassed others online based on the definition provided. In contrast, in the current study we asked students whether they engaged in or were the target of distinct cyber bullying behaviours without labelling these behaviours as bullying. When explicitly asked about their experience with bullying and being bullied online, the results

17 16 were very different: 85.8 percent of respondents indicated that they do not bully or get bullied online; 6.4 percent indicated that they bully and get bullied online; 5.1 percent indicated that they are bullied online; and only 2.6 percent indicated that they bully others online. Although students admitted to engaging in specific behaviours online, they may not have considered these behaviours as constituting bullying. Exploring cyber bullying in this manner provided an opportunity to examine the prevalence of bullying behaviour without classifying it as such. Therefore, it appears that the scope of cyber bullying behaviour experienced and perpetuated by this sample far exceeds what participants explicitly identified as bullying, which is itself a notable finding. No gender differences were found in the overall perpetration of cyber bullying in our study, which corresponds to the literature (Hinduja & Patchin, 2008; Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Williams & Guerra, 2007; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004b). However, gender differences were evident in this analysis regarding the form of cyber bullying in which participants were involved. The nature of these differences is consistent with the well documented gender differences evident in traditional bullying, whereby boys are more involved in direct/overt and physical forms of aggression and girls are more involved in indirect and relational forms (Cullerton-Sen & Crick, 2005; Prinstein, Boergers & Vernberg, 2001). According to our findings, even in the online environment, there is evidence that boys are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of direct bullying such as threatening and that girls are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of indirect bullying such as rumours or pretending to be someone else. The finding that older girls were more likely than boys in their age range to be sent unwelcome sexual pictures or text or to be asked to do something sexual online corresponds with research on cyber harassment (Mitchell, Wolak & Finkelhor, 2007). With respect to offline sexual bullying or harassment, although the evidence seems clear that girls experience more

18 physical sexual harassment than boys there is conflicting evidence about whether the 17 frequency and severity of sexual harassment experienced by girls is greater than by boys (Timmerman, 2003), or whether they endure similar levels but different forms of harassment (McMaster et al, 2002). The important point is that there is compelling evidence that sexual harassment is a prevalent form of peer victimization both online and offline, for students of both genders and particularly for girls. While the literature suggests marginalized students may be at higher risk of online victimization (Mitchell et al, 2007), our research found that students who spoke a language other than English at home were not at higher risk of being bullied. This finding may be influenced by the manner in which students who spoke a language other than English at home spent their time on the computer, as these students were far more likely to spent their time online completing homework than other students. Further research in this area is necessary to explore the relationship between marginalization and cyber victimization. Another finding that is consistent with the literature on cyber bullying and cyber abuse is that many students did not report their experiences of cyber bullying to their parents (8%) or teachers (3%) (Finkelhor, Mitchell & Wolak, 2000; O Connell et al, 2004). Other results indicate that children and youth were more likely to report incidents of cyber bullying to their parents than to teachers although the percentage of students that tells their parents is disturbingly low (Agatson et al, 2007). This finding that students do not report cyber bullying corresponds with the troubling and stable finding that reported traditional bullying underestimates the problem (Hanish & Guerra, 2000). While some of the reasons children and youth withhold disclosure of cyber bullying parallel those in the traditional bullying literature, such as fear of retaliation and worsening of the bullying or fear that telling adults would not help (Agatson et al, 2007; Mishna & Alaggia, 2005), some reasons for not disclosing cyber bullying incidents appear

19 unique to the cyber world. A major barrier to children and youth disclosing cyber 18 victimization is fear that their parents would remove their Internet or cell phone privileges (Agatson et al, 2007; Kowalski & Limber, 2007). This lack of disclosure belies the students emotional responses, whereby a significant proportion reported feeling angry, embarrassed, sad, or scared, in the current and other research (Beran & Li, 2005; Mitchell, Ybarra & Finkelor, 2007; Wolak, Mitchell & Finkelor, 2006). The finding that most students knew the identity of the perpetrator breaks the assumption commonly noted in the literature that cyber bullying is anonymous (Hinduja & Patchin, 2008, 2009; Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Raskauskas & Stoltz, 2007; Shariff, 2009; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004a). Such results are not surprising however, considering the evidence that the majority of youth communicate online with other individuals they already know (Gross, 2004; Valkenburg & Peter, 2007). The findings correspond with other research in which it was found that 73 percent of youth who had experienced cyber bullying reported that they knew the person who bullied them (National Children s Home survey, 2005). The assumption of anonymity is further challenged by our finding that one-quarter of cyber bullying occurs in the presence of cyber witnesses. A sizeable body of research demonstrates that the majority of traditional bullying incidents occur in the presence of peers (Atlas & Pepler, 1998; Craig & Pepler, 2007; O Connell, Pepler & Craig, 1999) and that the roles peers play are pivotal, whether they passively watch, join or intervene to stop the bullying (Hawkins, Pepler & Craig, 2001; O Connell et al, 1999). Although cyber witnesses may differ from offline bystanders due to the unique online context, the large proportion of respondents who reported witnessing cyber bullying points to the importance of addressing bystanders in education and prevention interventions, in order to alter their attitudes and responses to online bullying. Moreover, it is important to be mindful that in

20 cyber space the potential audience of bystanders and observers of electronic bullying is 19 limitless (Kowalski & Limber, 2007). Not only did the results suggest that students knew the perpetrator but findings indicated that students were often cyber bullied by someone they considered a friend and that that students bullied others online who were considered friends. This finding corresponds to the small body of literature that examines traditional bullying that occurs among friends and that may consequently pose distinct challenges (Casey-Cannon, Hayward & Gowen, 2001; Crick & Nelson, 2002; Dane 2001; Grotpeter & Crick, 1996; Mishna, Wiener, & Pepler, 2008). For example, aggressive children may use the features that are unique to friendship, such as disclosure of confidences, to bully their friends by exerting control (James & Owen, 2005). For vulnerable children who may be bullied by a friend, having or desiring the friendship may complicate the situation and thus limit the child s options (Newman, Murray, & Lussier, 2001). While there is evidence that communication technology can be beneficial for friendships (Blais et al., 2008; Valkenburg), the findings of this study suggest that such technology may also pose difficulties such as cyber bullying. Limitations Although the present analysis utilized a large and randomly selected sample of youth, limitations must be noted. While data from the included school boards highlight that the final sample is quite similar to the overall population on key demographics (see Table 1b), the low response rate limits the generalizability of these findings. Therefore, these results should be viewed as preliminary. Another limitation is that all grades between six and twelve were not sampled due to constraints imposed by the participating school boards out of concern about resource issues. Caution must thus be taken in generalizing the results to the non-participating grades.

21 20 Implications for Prevention: Families and Educators The findings of this study correspond with the literature that documents the integral role of electronic technology for children and adolescents, both as a way of communicating and relating positively and as a means through which they bully and are bullied. Parents and educators must not ignore or underestimate children s and youth s knowledge and skill with computers, the Internet and other communication technology. In addition to recognizing the centrality and importance of cyber interactions for children and youth s socialization, adults need to differentiate technology use that is neutral or positive from technology use that is abusive or negative. Underestimating children s almost ubiquitous use of technology and its significant meaning for them can produce a gap in knowledge across generations, resulting in adults inability to protect children and youth from the potential dangers of this technology. Recognition by parents and educators of the importance of Internet activity, particularly online communication, may facilitate disclosure of cyber bullying among children and youth who fear that online prohibitions may result from any discussion of cyber victimization or perpetration. Further, it is pivotal that parents and educators understand the differential risk associated with gender and age in order to tailor prevention messages to the age and gender specific behaviours that most place children and youth at risk. Implications for Practice and Service Delivery An implication of the present study is the need for practitioners to both understand and attend to the importance and meaning of online relationships for children and youth; and address the inherent risks in online communication and interactions, including the potential for cyber bullying among friends. For example a child or youth may give a trusted friend a password, without anticipating the risks should the relationship change, such as the friend becoming angry and using this password to perpetrate cyber bullying. What occurs within the context of what a child or youth considers a trusted friendship (for example giving a password or sending a

22 picture) may quickly move into the realm of cyber space with its potential for immediate, 21 widespread and longstanding distribution. Children and youth therefore need education and support to navigate the complexity of their online interactions and friendships. The findings indicting that cyber bullying occurs among peer groups, including friends and acquaintances, suggests that prevention and intervention should occur in schools within the children s and youth s social worlds and with the support of their teachers and parents. Research is required to examine and determine how to optimally intervene to support children and youth. Along with recognizing the centrality and meaning of electronic communication for children and youth, practitioners must understand the phenomenon of cyber bullying including similarities with and differences from traditional bullying. An important focus must be on facilitating the ability of children and youth to tell their parents and other adults about their experiences of cyber bullying and on helping parents and other adults to respond effectively. Implications for Policy As the results highlight that cyber bullying predominantly occurs within existing social relationships and by known perpetrators, it is important that judicial policy makers incorporate an understanding of peer-to-peer victimization in their prevention and intervention efforts in the field of cyber abuse. While a focus on cyber abuse, exploitation, and solicitation by strangers remains vital, it is important to recognize the harm associated with cyber bullying and cyber sexual victimization within the context of peer groups. Conclusion The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (United Nations, 1998) identifies adults as responsible to protect children from all forms of physical and mental violence, injury or abuse. Children s and youth s habitual and intense involvement in the cyber world and the rapid increase of cyber bullying signal an urgent call to action for adults to intervene and protect

23 children and youth. Results of the study reported in this paper revealed that cyber bullying 22 largely occurs within children s existing social relationships. This finding provides further support for the need to address the problem of cyber bullying through a systemic approach, encompassing different levels of the system including peers, teachers, school administrators, mental health professionals, law enforcement and parents.

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