How New Media Has Affected Bullying

There are people with malicious intent who have found the Internet to be an excellent means through which they can harass others. Research shows that cyber bullying has become a major concern for parents and educators. Where before, students were bullied only during school hours, now they can also be, and often are, harassed in their very homes through the Internet. Currently, there are few ways for school and government officials to stop or curtail cyber bullying. Results from a recently conducted survey on twenty high school juniors show that while these students don’t consider telling adults that they are being cyber bullied a mistake, they would rather not tell. Furthermore, results were inconclusive when the students were asked if ignoring cyber bullying is the best course of action. Oddly enough, only two students believed that the bullies from school would be the bullies in cyberspace. Perhaps this belief is based on the anonymity of the Internet; it could be anyone harassing a student, even the mother of an estranged friend. Beyond searching for methods to combat cyber bullying and stem the negative results, preventative measures should be researched. Additionally, it might be beneficial to study the occurrence of cyber bullying through other forms of media besides the Internet, like mobile phones