Cyberbullying
The difference between boys and girls.
Boys vs Girls
- Girls are twice as likely to be the victims and/or the cyberbullies according to dosomething.org.
- Boys tend to physically bully people more while girls tend to cyberbully more.
- 59% of girls cyberbully vs 41% of boys
- Boys are more likely to be threatened by a cyberbully rather than girls.
- 26% of online boys reported being cyberbullyed while 38% of online girls reported they had been cyberbullyed.
- 41% of girls with age 15-17 reported being cyberbullyed, higher than any gender or age group.
- 68% of girls reported being involved in cyberbullying in some way while only 55% of boys reported they were.
- 40.1% of young girls reported being cyberbullyed at one point of their lives while only 29.3% of young boys reported that they had been.
- Over 52% of all young people reported they had been cyberbullyed in 2014.
- 40% of middle school boys and girls reported being cyberbullyed while only 20% of highschool students reported being cyberbullyed.
The Daisy Coleman story:
Daisy Coleman and her friend were hanging out one night watching movies and drinking when a boy from their school named Matt Barnett texted them and asked them if they wanted to hang out. They said yes and snuck out of the house around 1am and they all started drinking together. In the morning her mom found her out in front of their house in just a t-shirt and sweat pants and they found out that she had been raped. They went to the police about it and Matt admitted to it but claimed they both wanted it. People began taking sides at her school and began cyberbullying her on facebook and twitter. They said things like that she should kill herself and slit her wrists. People at school would call her a liar and cuss her out when they saw her. People in town would call her names as well. People even came up with the hashtag #daisyisaliar. One night she was sitting in her room and decided she didn't deserve the way she was being treated and wanted to do something about it so she began speaking out. She told people her story and did an article in the newspaper. After that people began reaching out to her and sharing their stories with her as well. She continues to tell people her story and help others who have gone through what she has.
How to protect yourself from cyberbullying:
Never post personal information online:
Don't post your address, school, phone number, email, passwords, ect. on the web. If you post pictures online make sure you have them private so only you and the people you are friends with can see them.
Don't believe everything you read online:
You never really know who your talking to on the internet because people can pretend to be someone they're not.
Never respond to an angry message with anger:
If you get a message from a cyberbully just ignore it. As hard as it may be all the bully wants from you is a reaction and responding back just makes matters worse.
How to report a cyberbully:
Instagram:
- To report an account go the person's profile and click next to their username. Then click report user.
- To report a post click below the post and click report. Then follow the instructions on the screen.
- Go to the tweet you would like to report.
- Click on more.
- Then click report.
- Then select abusive or harmful and you will be asked questions.
Three safe ways to respond to cyberbullying:
- One safe way to respond to cyberbullys is to not respond at all. It's better to just ignore them and tell a trusted adult.
- You can report the bully. If your on a social media site you can report the post or comment. If you are being bullied over text you can block the persons number from your phone.
- Look for counseling or a support group. Surround your self with positive people you don't have to go through it alone.
Consequences of cyberbullying:
Some consequences of cyberbullying include getting suspended from school, being kicked off of a sports teams or school organizations, and even getting in trouble with the law. You can get criminal charges or civil lawsuits filed against you. In some states there are even laws set in place just for cyberbullying.