Young people have fully embraced the Internet as both an environment and a tool for socializing. Via the Internet and other technologies, they send e-mail, create their own Web sites, post intimate personal news in blogs (online interactive journals), send text messages and images via cell phone, contact each other through IMs (instant messages), chat in chat rooms, post to discussion boards, and seek out new friends in teen sites.

Unfortunately, there are increasing reports of teenagers (and sometimes younger children) using these technologies to post damaging text or images to bully their peers or engage in other aggressive behavior. There are also increasing reports of teens posting material that raises concerns that they are considering an act of violence toward others or themselves.

This guide provides parents with insight into these concerns and guidelines to prevent your child from being victimized by or engaging in online harmful behavior. It also provides guidance on things you can do in either case.

CYBERBULLYING

Cyberbullying is being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material or engaging in other forms of social aggression using the Internet or other digital technologies.

Cyberbullying can take different forms:

Flaming. Online fights using electronic messages with angry and vulgar language. Joe and Alec’s online exchange got angrier and angrier. Insults were flying. Joe warned Alec to watch his back in school the next day.

Harassment. Repeatedly sending nasty, mean, and insulting messages. Sara reported to the principal that Kayla was bullying another student. When Sara got home, she had 35 angry messages in her e-mail box. The anonymous cruel messages kept coming—some from strangers.

Denigration. “Dissing” someone online. Sending or posting gossip or rumors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships. Some boys created a “We Hate Joe” Web site where they posted jokes, cartoons, gossip, and rumors, all dissing Joe.

Impersonation. Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material to get that person in trouble or danger or to damage that person’s reputation or friendships. Laura watched closely as Emma logged on to her account and discovered her password. Later, Laura logged on to Emma’s account and sent a hurtful message to Emma’s boyfriend, Adam.

Outing. Sharing someone’s secrets or embarrassing information or images online. Greg, an obese high school student, was changing in the locker room after gym class. Matt took a picture of him with his cell phone camera. Within seconds, the picture was flying around the phones at school.

Trickery. Talking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information, then sharing it online. Katie sent a message to Jessica pretending to be her friend and asking lots of questions. Jessica responded, sharing really personal information. Katie forwarded the message to lots of other people with her own comment, “Jessica is a loser.”

Exclusion. Intentionally and cruelly excluding someone from an online group. Millie tries hard to fit in with a group of girls at school. She recently got on the “outs” with a leader in this group. Now Millie has been blocked from the friendship links of all of the girls.

Cyberstalking. Repeated, intense harassment and denigration that includes threats or creates significant fear. When Annie broke up with Sam, he sent her many angry, threatening, pleading messages. He spread nasty rumors about her to her friends and posted a sexually suggestive picture she had given him in a sex-oriented discussion group, along with her e-mail address and cell phone number.

From Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress, by N.E. Willard, © 2007, Champaign, IL: Research Press (800-519-2707; www.researchpress.com.