Kids' Perspective on Cyberbullying

What to know about your kids and how they are affected by cyberbullying.

When kids ages 12-18 from across the nation were asked whether they thought bullying still took place in school or in social settings most answered, “no.” Rather, they said that cyberbullying is the thing to worry about now and it happens every day and on all of the social media sites.

Key Survey Points

• Forty percent of kids admitted that they have been a victim of cyberbullying, and that 75 percent of kids said that they have seen bullying online happen to others more than once.​
• The most common bullying that is happening are remarks about political affiliation or beliefs, general mean comments about someone's appearance or things they do or say, remarks about race, sexuality or preference. ​
• Around 50 percent of kids said that they would turn to their friends for help if they were being bullied, whereas less than 15 percent of kids said they would go to the school or their parents for the same situation.​
• Almost 60 percent of kids said that Instagram and Twitter are the worst for cyberbullying, and other anonymous apps like Houseparty,Yik Yak, and After School. 

Why cyberbully?

When kids were asked why they think cyberbulling is such a problem, the top three responses were:

1. It’s easy to hide behind a computer or cell phone screen
2. The bullies are insecure themselves, so they end up trying to make others feel worse about themselves to build up their own self-confidence
3. They just don't realize they're doing it. ​

As I've said before, it doesn't seem like a big deal when you write a snide comment on someone’s Instagram post because you would never say that to their face, and everything seems less “real” when it's on a computer or phone screen, but this is not true. Any form of insult written or posted online about somebody else, makes you a cyberbully.

With more awareness about cyberbullying, it can be stopped. Helping your teen to understand the harm of cyberbullying is a step in the right direction. 

To read past FKP surveys, or to have kids ages 12-18 participate in future surveys, go to my Facebook page “FKP”.