The vast increase in tweens being exposed to the Internet through computers and cell phones has led to an increase in cyberbullies and their victims online, creating a digital face for traditional bullying that occurs within school facilities, a recent study by the University of British Columbia that involved 17,000 children ages 8 to 12.

Cyberbullying among children is a form of humiliation, intimidation and threat by an aggressive child directed towards another child or pre-adolescent through the use of the Internet on computers and mobile phones. With more children joining popular social networking sites like Facebook, bullying has become much easier for many, which has been shown by numerous studies to be detrimental to a victim’s psychological development and also linked to depression, school phobia, loss of self-esteem, reduced performance and the worst case of suicide.

The university study revealed that around 25-30% of youth admitted to participating in and being victims of cyberbullying, which was a significantly greater difference with 19% reporting having participated in and experienced bullying. This showed that children differentiate cyberbullying from actual bullying, indicating an emerging popularity of online bullying.

Several states supplemented additional laws to correspond to the rise of cyber bullying within the public school system, creating anti-bullying campaigns such as “STOMP Out Bullying” and “It Gets Better.” There are also many websites and Internet resources that address cyberbullying issues, such as “dosomething.org.” Many schools are also hosting anti-bullying events on campus to address the problem. The state of Georgia enacted a cyberbullying law (Bill Number SB 250), part of which states that cyberbullying “relates to acts of bullying prohibited in public schools…through the use of electronic data or access to software through a local school system’s computer network or electronic technology.”

Teachers and parents should be careful if a child exhibits any symptoms of cyber bullying. Open communication is vital in assessing the seriousness of a child’s situation. Certain measures must be observed to avoid the harmful effects of cyberbullying: educating a child in advance about cyberbullies, reporting abuse by a bully, and blocking the person from the child’s account. While education and community awareness are important, they do not replace the need for parental vigilance to monitor their children’s online activity. It is essential that parents take the initiative to consult a pediatrician for the necessary psychological support.