Cyber bullying on the increase, says uni study

Cyber bullying on the increase, says uni study

NEARLY 20 per cent of youngsters in Britain have been bullied over the internet according a university study.
Academics at Anglia Ruskin, in Chelmsford, researched the scale of so-called cyber bullying through websites such as Facebook and Twitter among people aged between ten and 19-years-old and the effect it has on them.
This type of bullying takes place by messages and photos from computers, or text messages being used to harass or embarrass people.
The results of the study showed 18.4 per cent of those interviewed had been the victim of some form of bullying over the internet, with 69 per cent being female.

The effects have included losing confidence, staying away from school or even avoiding social interaction outside school.
Steven Walker, principle lecturer in child and adolescent mental health at the university, led the research and said the results show the internet is becoming a vocal place for bullying.
He said: “While most online interactions are neutral or positive, the internet provides a new means through which children and young people are bullied.
“Some people who cyber-bully think they won’t get caught if they do it on a mobile phone, or on the internet, and the people who cyber-bully are usually jealous, angry or want to have revenge on someone, often for no reason at all.”

He also said the people interviewed during the study said there could be tragic consequences to those who are the victims.
Mr Walker said: “Many suggested this form of bullying, like other forms, can ‘push people over the edge’ and lead to suicide attempts and also successful suicides.
“Many of the respondents in our study thought cyber bullies do not actually think they are bullying. In the main, they thought cyber bullying was seen by bullies as merely a form of harmless fun, a joke and therefore not an issue.”