Latest Technology News from Pulse Web Hosting

Cyber bullying on the increase in the US

28/06/07 – New research has revealed that a third of US teenagers who are online have suffered cyber bullying. According to the study by the Pew Internet Project the biggest problem is private information being released rather than actual threats.
The study showed that the threat is more prevalent for girls than boys as they are left more vulnerable by sharing their identities online.

32% of the youngsters who took part in the survey had experienced private messages being leaked or receiving an aggressive message.

However many still believed that more bullying takes place offline.

The cyber bullying threat has been increased by the vast growth in the number of teenagers joining social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace.

The author of the report, Amanda Lenhart said: "Bullying has entered the digital age. The impulses behind it are the same, but the effect is magnified. In the past, the materials of bullying would have been whispered, shouted or passed around.

"Now, with a few clicks, a photo, video or a conversation can be shared with hundreds via e-mail or millions through a website, online profile or blog posting."

Some of the respondents felt that the bullies online were emboldened by the lack of physical proximity with their victims with cyber bullying.

One teenager who took part in the study offered this perspective: "People think they are a million times stronger because they can hide behind their computer monitor."

---

Link to this news article using the url below:

http://www.pulsewebhosting.com/news/cyber-bullying-on-the-increase-in-the-us/113/

<a href="http://www.pulsewebhosting.com/news/cyber-bullying-on-the-increase-in-the-us/113/" title="Cyber bullying on the increase in the US">Cyber bullying on the increase in the US</a> Published Date: 2007-06-28 16:55:14

Subscribe to our RSS News feed:
 Web Hosting RSS