Cyberbullying Research Center, Author at Cyberbullying Research Center

Cyberbullying and Online Harassment: Reconceptualizing the Victimization of Adolescent Girls

Other Publications, PublicationsBy Cyberbullying Research Center February 21, 2009 Leave a comment

Growing public awareness of electronic bullying and harassment among adolescents suggests the need to empirically investigate this increasingly common and problematic behavior. Although studies of cyberbullying and online harassment among young people are nascent, preliminary findings suggest that victimization can undermine the freedom of youth to use and explore valuable online resources, and may have…

Anti-cyberbullying curriculum for schools

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center February 16, 2009 4 Comments

Our colleague Mike Donlin, over at the Seattle Public Schools District, recently headed up a comprehensive project to create an initial set of Internet safety curriculum materials focusing specifically on cyberbullying. His state of Washington has been very progressive in creating and promoting anti-cyberbullying legislation (see RCW 28A.300.285 for more information), and has realized that…

Digital “Sexploitation:” An Extreme Example of Cyberbullying

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center February 6, 2009 6 Comments

This story out of New Berlin, WI, reports about very extreme case of cyberbullying. It is reported that an 18-year-old male student posed as a female student on Facebook and tricked other male students into sending him nude pictures or videos of themselves. There were at least 31 male students who apparently did so, and…

Student cell phone confiscation and searches

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center February 4, 2009 27 Comments

According to this article, one Texas school district is now allowing for the confiscation of cell phones from students who display or use them at school, and is considering levying a retrieval fee. I had mentioned in a comment to a previous post by Justin that other districts are definitely requiring a fee of either…

Information Disclosure on Social Networking Web Sites

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center February 2, 2009 Leave a comment

As many of you know, we became interested in social networking web sites (MySpace and Facebook) several years ago when we had heard examples of cyberbullying occurring in those environments. Since then, we have done quite a bit of research looking at the kinds of information adolescents post on their public profiles. We published one…

Information Disclosure on Social Networking Web Sites

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center February 2, 2009 Leave a comment

The concept of “power” in cyberbullying

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center January 28, 2009 4 Comments

We’ve been chatting with other Internet safety professionals about different conceptions of “cyberbullying.” I’d like to talk a bit about the concept of power, and get some thoughts from readers of this blog. Traditional bullying (in the schoolyard, lunchroom, on the bus, etc.) typically involves a clear power differential. I always think of Biff and…

Age- and identity-misrepresentation on the Internet

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center December 4, 2008 5 Comments

The New York Times last week asked me my thoughts on the Megan Meier case and online misrepresentation, and I thought I’d expand on my perspective here. First off, we have to understand why this case drew so much attention. It was because we have a vulnerable and depressed young girl basically driven to suicide…

Family Online Safety Institute Conference – December 11th, 2008

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center December 1, 2008 Leave a comment

I’m going to be in Washington, DC on Wednesday, December 10th and Thursday, December 11th for the Family Online Safety Institute’s annual conference, where I’ll be participating in a formal roundtable to discuss cyberbullying prevention and response and Internet safety issues. I am really looking forward to this, as many top practitioners and authors in…

JuicyCampus.com and the response by schools

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center November 10, 2008 5 Comments

My local newspaper just ran a story on JuicyCampus.com and asked me about it (since it could be considered cyberbullying), and so I figured I’d share a few of my thoughts here. First, the fact that college students are flocking to the site to read and write highly-offensive gossip about others is a sad commentary…

Anger in Cyberspace

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center November 7, 2008 Leave a comment

I found this new CNN article on anger online really interesting. In our new book, we talk about two theoretical concepts which are highly relevant: disinhibition and deindividuation. To be disinhibited is to be freed from restraints on your behavior. In some venues, disinhibition can be a positive thing. For example, someone who tends to…

Cell Phones and ChaCha

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center October 31, 2008 16 Comments

In the last several months, we have received more calls and emails from school administrators about issue related to cell phones than probably anything else. The concerns about cell phones are varied. For example, students are texting on them all hours of the school day, cell phones can be used to take pictures or video…

Focal areas within cyberbullying prevention and response

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center October 23, 2008 2 Comments

Mike Donlin, Senior Program Consultant (aka Program Manager), for Seattle Public Schools (and our good friend and esteemed colleague) recently asked us a few thought-provoking questions about cyberbullying prevention and response. They are as follows: 1. How can we consistently involve all the major stakeholders – educators, legal, the tech industry, families and youth –…

Problematic pictures circulated via cell phones

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center October 18, 2008 2 Comments

I just read an interesting article covering a topic that is frequently brought to our attention when we speak at conferences – cell phones and sexually-explicit images of teenagers being circulated among peers. The bottom line is that we have got to figure out the best way to get kids to think hard and seriously about…

Cyberbullying and Schools: Edweek Live Chat (Archive)

Educators, Evergreen, ResourcesBy Cyberbullying Research Center October 10, 2008 Leave a comment

At its best, the Internet helps students find information and stay in touch with friends through everything from text-messages and blogs to social-networking and other video- and photo-sharing Web sites. But the Internet can also enable students to aggressively target and harm their peers. This chat will inform educators and parents on how to recognize…

Tagging of personal pictures online, facial recognition, implications for youth

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center October 7, 2008 3 Comments

As most of you know, Justin and I have conducted some studies on the youth use of social networking sites. Our primary intention was to determine if and how adolescents are rendering themselves vulnerable to victimization based on the content (diary entries, personal information, pictures, video, etc.) they post within their profile pages. This content…

Offline Consequences of Online Victimization: School Violence and Delinquency

Journal Articles, PublicationsBy Cyberbullying Research Center September 22, 2008 Leave a comment

As increasing numbers of youth embrace computer-mediated communication to meet academic and social needs, interpersonal violence directly and indirectly related to the Internet is occurring more often. Cyberbullying in particular has shot to the forefront of agendas in schools and communities due to the emotional, psychological, and even physical harm to which victims can be…

Cell phones on School Campuses in California

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center September 19, 2008 13 Comments

In keeping with a trend we have been seeing across the country, another school board in California has decided to ban the inappropriate use of cell phones on school grounds (largely to prevent cyberbullying and the recording and online posting of fights). There is one exception – students are able to use cell phones to…

Cyberbullying and Strain

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center September 10, 2008 3 Comments

One of the more popular criminological theories floating around these days suggests that individuals engage in deviance as a response to experiencing stressful life events or strain. For example, youth who are abused at home or who break up with a serious significant other, or who move to a new town, are more at risk…

Teachers and students “friending” on MySpace

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center August 14, 2008 10 Comments

CNN posted an interesting story about teachers setting up MySpace pages and “friending” their students…and about a Missouri legislator sponsoring a bill banning elementary school teachers from doing so. I was talking to Justin about this, and we both agree that a state bill banning this activity is completely overboard (another example of how politicians…

Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying

Books, PublicationsBy Cyberbullying Research Center August 1, 2008 Leave a comment

Focusing on how technology can facilitate or magnify traditional forms of peer harassment, “Bullying beyond the Schoolyard” paints a vivid picture of online aggression among adolescents by recounting the stories of victims, summarizing current research, and reviewing recent legal rulings. This groundbreaking book also provides proactive prevention and intervention strategies to equip parents, educators, counselors,…

8-12 year-olds and online social interaction

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center July 28, 2008 5 Comments

A new report was released last week that zeroed in on online social interaction among youth between the ages of 8 and 12. The “Tween Internet Safety Survey” found that at least half lie about their age online (in keeping with our own findings from discussions with kids around the nation). They also found that…

Why Do Youth Engage in Cyberbullying?

BlogBy Cyberbullying Research Center July 22, 2008 5 Comments

This is another one of those questions that we get all of the time. Of course, there is not one easy answer to this question. Moreover, what causes one adolescent to cyberbully may not influence another to engage in similar behaviors. So, while we have a number of theories or hypotheses, what do you think? …

Author Archives: Cyberbullying Research Center