NCJ Number
213488
Journal
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 148-169
Date Published
April 2006
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article presents findings from a pilot study that assessed the nature and extent of online bullying.
Abstract
Results of the exploratory study indicate that online bullying is occurring and has numerous negative impacts on youth. Nearly 30 percent of survey respondents reported being the victim of online bullying, while 60 percent reported being ignored by others online and 50 percent reported being disrespected by others. Of these online bullying victims, almost 60 percent reported that they were affected by the online bullying while at school, at home, or with friends. The findings suggest the need to proactively respond to the potentially negative uses of technology and underscore the need for parents to routinely monitor their children's online behavior. Data were collected via a survey questionnaire that was linked from the official Web site of a music artist popular among the target age group. Respondents were 384 individuals younger than 18 years of age. The questionnaire asked youths to recall their experiences of online bullying, including the frequency of the bullying experience. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. Limitations of the study include its method of collecting survey questionnaire data completely online. Future research should focus on case study analysis and anecdotal stories of online bullying experiences to better understand when intervention is most appropriate. Tables, notes, references