Online harassment and cyber-bullying within the school context

Summary:

School professionals are wrestling with how to support youth who are being targeted by Internet harassment, because it‟s occurring off school grounds but can affect school functioning.

While logical to assume an overlap in bullying behavior at school and online, the extent to which this is the case is yet unreported. Furthermore, beyond anecdotal reports, little is know about the influence that Internet harassment may have on school functioning.

To address these issues, this presentation will examine:

1. The possible overlap between online and school harassment; and

2. The association between Internet harassment and school functioning

We will also examine more general associations between Internet harassment and caregiver-child relationships to inform future intervention targeting.

Findings include:

- While some overlap exists, it appears that the majority of youth harassed online are not bullied at school:

 64% of youth reporting weekly mean / rude comments

 77% of youth reporting weekly rumors spread about them

 68% of youth reporting weekly threatening/aggressive comments

Do not report being bullied at school

- Harassment on the Internet, especially weekly, appears to be related to school: behavior problems and weapon carrying.

- Increasing frequency in Internet harassment is associated with increasing youth report of: poor parental monitoring and poor emotional bond.

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