Bullying from behind a computer screen

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Second, Lynn sent Sandra mean text messages. Cyberbullying doesn’t just begin or end with PCs or Macs. Cyberbullying can also involve mean messages or photos sent over cell phones. Children have reported having their number bombed with message after message filled with terrible insults from other people. Text-message bullying is a distant relative to old-fashioned phone bullying, where people would call up different homes and make crank remarks, shout insults, or just hang up and call back over and over.

Some other forms of Internet bullying include:

E-mailing mean pictures: Nowadays cell phones can take videos and still photos. As a result, bullies use these devices to embarrass other children. People have talked about bullies taking bad pictures of them with cell phones and e-mailing them to other people. There have also been cases where bullies have e-mailed pictures that they claimed were of their victims but really weren’t.

Stealing someone’s online ID: Another way bullies can hurt people online is by pretending to be them in chat rooms and on message boards. Children imitate another child’s sign-on name and then show up in a popular room where that user may hang out online. They will then start to say mean or embarrassing things about the child, pretending it’s the victim saying these things about himself. Or the bully may make it seem as though the person he/she is pretending to be is saying something bad about other people. Many conflicts have been started because someone went online and pretended to be speaking as someone else. This is one of the sneakiest and most hurtful forms of cyberbullying, because it makes it harder for you to know who is behind this act.

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Stealing passwords: In some cases, someone can get hold of your password and make your life miserable. Sometimes they will use the password to sign on as you and make trouble with your friends or even strangers. In other cases, bullies use the stolen password to sign you up to receive junk mail from different websites, including places where dangerous strangers may hang out. Or the bullies might even give your password to others, who can use it to hack into your system and even steal your private information.

Stolen passwords can lead to more than insults and rumors being posted online. Bullies have given stolen passwords to criminals, who use them to break into bank accounts and use credit cards. They can steal a lot of money this way. Stolen passwords have contributed to crimes not only against kids, but also against their parents. This can lead to trouble far beyond what a child bully may cause for a classmate or neighbor.

Keeping kids out of online games: Interactive games have been popular for years, and they have become a way for bullies to pick on others. Children have discussed how they are sometimes not allowed into certain game rooms or onto certain teams during games because bullies keep them away. In the same way that smaller children are sometimes not allowed to join in basketball or football games, online bullies can keep less popular people out of online social groups during gaming activities.

Staging fights to post on YouTube: In many cases, online bullying can be a sign that a child is being picked on physically, too. There have been recent reports of incidents where kids have attacked other kids and taped the fights to post online later. These attacks have led to some horrifying footage, showing girls and boys being kicked and punched and shoved, having their hair pulled and their bodies bruised. Although this constitutes physical bullying, the bully adds to the humiliation of his or her victim by broadcasting the mean acts for all to see. In one well-known case, some girls beat up another girl from their school and shot video of the attack while some guys acted as lookouts for them. The video was then posted on YouTube for everyone to see. Eventually, seven teen bullies were arrested for the attack and charged with battery and false imprisonment.

Sending viruses: Some bullies intentionally send out code that is meant to damage a victim’s computer or software. There are also viruses that let kids spy on what other kids are doing or even take control of their computers.

Chapter summary
Online bullying involves the use of computers, websites, message boards, and other online forums to hurt other kids.
Cyberbullying is another name for online bullying.
The Internet now gives bullies a bigger audience.
Online bullying can sometimes indicate that physical bullying is also going on.
Online bullying can involve forms of verbal bullying when kids leave nasty messages or texts on others’ phones or computers or Web pages.
Online bullying can also provide a place for relationship bullying as some kids sometimes keep others out of online games and other activities.
Bullies sometimes steal people’s online identities and send embarrassing or threatening messages to others.
Online bullying can lead to financial and other crimes.

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Bullying from behind a computer screen