Cyber bullying is the act of abusing another person through the use of web-related avenues of communication, such as social networking sites and blogs. As new avenues of communication develop to bring people closer together, there are always going to be bullies out there to take advantage of those avenues for nefarious purposes. By understanding some important cyber bullying statistics, you can more easily find ways to avoid cyber bullying and keep you or your loved ones safe on the Internet.
General cyber Bullying Statistics
Understanding the epidemic of bullying across the globe is not a simple task. This already difficult task becomes even more difficult when you throw the many unique mechanisms of cyber bullying into the mix. By understanding cyber bullying statistics, you will gain a more holistic understanding of the problem facing youth around the world. You will also be better equipped to help your child deal with these issues.
One in Ten Children Worldwide Experiences cyber Bullying
In a recent poll conducted by Ipsos, it was discovered that roughly 12% of the worldwide teenage population has experienced cyber bullying in their lives. This equates to nearly one in ten children around the world experiencing some form of cyber bullying. During the study, 18,687 people from around the world answered a simple online poll regarding cyber bullying. More than twice as many parents believed that they know of a child in their neighborhood experiencing some form of cyber bullying. When asked whether they thought a child near them was experiencing cyber bullying, 26% of respondents said yes.
Bullying Victims are 2 to 9 Times More Likely to Commit Suicide
The CDC states that bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to commit suicide or attempt it than those who do not experience bullying. This is not just true for the victims of bullies, but it is also true for the bullies themselves. Bullies are often the product of an abusive environment and are likely to be victims of bullying themselves. These specific numbers come from the 2011 Mortality and Morbidity report that the CDC issued. In the report, CDC professionals cite a correlation between bullying and higher suicide rates.
25% of Kids Don't Tell Anyone About Bullies
A recent study conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science found that roughly 25% of children in the study had been bullied online without telling anyone about it. That same study found that 6% of children as young as 6 or 9 years old had been sent hurtful messages online. For the study, more than 25,000 children in the United Kingdom between the ages of 9 and 16 were given a survey to complete. The survey asked them questions about their home life, school, bullying, and many other social aspects of life.
cyber Bullying Has Actually Gone Down
Despite the importance of addressing cyber bullying, it has actually gone down over the past decade. As this chart by Sameer Hinduja shows, cyber bullying has seen a relative decline according to studies. As of the most recent data, 20.8% of all students surveyed had experienced cyber bullying in their lifetime.
56% Report That cyber Bullying Has Real-World Consequences
cyber bullies often have access to much more personal information about their victims than other bullies due to the proliferation of social networking online. 56% of students surveyed in the recent AP-MTV Study on Digital Abuse reported that they felt significantly upset over cyber bullying events that have occurred in their lives. For this landmark study, 1.247 youth between the ages of 14 and 24 were interviewed by researchers on everything from their experiences online to their experiences using other digital communication.
Overweight and Obese Kids Are 63% More Likely to Be Bullied
A study conducted by Julie Luming notes that overweight or obese kids are 63% more likely to be bullied than peers at a normal weight. Study author Julie Luming has stated that the rise in obesity levels around the country was a major factor in doing this test, and the results indicate that overweight kids are significantly more prone to being bullied regardless of age, sex, race, or financial status. For her study, Luming surveyed 810 children from around the United States, asking them questions about everything from their home life to school. The major grades looked at in the study were third, fifth, and sixth grade.
39% of Social Network Users Experience cyber Bullying
The Pew Research Center recently stated that 39% of all people using social networking sites like Facebook will experience some form of cyber bullying, making social networking sites the most prevalent source of cyber bullying. The study was not conducted by the center itself, but instead used information from a number of different peer-reviewed studies to reach this conclusion. The study notes that these numbers may be higher for social network users because social network users are statistically more prone to report cyber bullying.
Things Can Change
Bullying will likely always exist in some form or another, and parents will always need to be vigilant to help their children combat it. Verbal abuse is the most common form of bullying done around the world. Without the threat of physical violence, it is important for parents to be supportive of their children so they know where to turn if they are bullied. Often, having someone at hand to simply talk to about bullying concerns is enough to help children ignore and overcome it.
