Too Many Cyberbullies

The latest report from the PEW Internet & American Life Project finds that approximately one in three teens online report incidents of cyberbullying of some type. Many have received threatening messages, have had their comments forwarded without their permission, have had others post unkind things about them, have had someone publish embarrassing photos of them, and/or have had others spread rumors about them online. Those who experienced these problems were most often girls and generally those who were more active in online socializing. The study also found that teens feel "they are more likely to be bullied offline than online." The fact that those who engage in social networking and like to share information about themselves are most often the targets of bullying incidents is not surprising. However, in these days when we seem to think of the Internet as the place where such things happen, have we forgotten that bullying, as the kids are saying, continues its rampage offline, too?