A victim of cyber bullying

Did you know that cyber bullying is now called Digital Abuse? Well, it is.

We have all heard about the terrible incidences of suicides related to bullying but I have something to tell you about that you might not know. There are finally some new studies being done and they show that the psychological and physical effects of bullying  are similar for the bullied kid and the one who is doing the bullying.  Who could have guessed that?.

Finland’s Turku University has a team of researchers who are studying bullying behavior and the repercussions. They surveyed 2,215 teens from the ages of thirteen to sixteen. The kids in the survey were asked about their health, bullying experiences, psychosomatic illnesses and substance abuse.

The kids who were the targets of cyber bullying suffered from emotional distress, concentration problems, headaches and abdominal pain, and had a hard time sleeping. The kids who were the cyber bullies had many of the same symptoms but also had behavioral issues, hyperactivity and substance abuse.

These researchers also found out that about 34% of teens have been the victims of Digital Abuse and 20% have been the bullies.

Since the cyber bullies can remain anonymous, they are able to say horrible things without any consequences. Parents, please tell me one good reason why a fourteen year old kid should be on any social networking site like Facebook.

Photo by a r b o