What is Cyber-Bullying?

Dan Olweus, a researcher involved in intervention work in the area of bully/victim problems among school children and youth for approximately 30 years, has defined bullying as someone who “is exposed repeatedly and over time to negative actions on the part of one or more other students" (Olweus, 1993, 9). Other researchers believe that there must be a power differential between bully and victim, either real or perceived, (Coloroso, 2002), and that bullying involves an intention to hurt the victim (Pepler, 1997). Since the end of the 20th century a new world of social communication has emerged. People are not only using the post office and telephones to communicate with each other but e-mail, web sites, chat rooms, instant messaging and text messaging. While most of these interactions are positive, children are increasingly using these communication tools to torment, threaten, harass, humiliate, embarrass or otherwise target others. This is what has become known as cyber-bullying.


Be Web Aware: Challenging Cyber Bullying. (2008) Retrieved October 12, 2008 from
http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/CyberBullying.aspx

Coloroso, Barbara. The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From Pre-school to High School: How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence. Toronto: HarperCollins, 2002.

Cyberbullying: About Cyberbullying. (2005) Retrieved October 11, 2008 from http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/libr500/04-05-wt2/www/D_Jackson/what.htm

Olweus, Dan. Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1993.

Pepler, Debra J. et al. Prevalence of Bullying and Victimization among Canadian Elementary and Middle School Children. (1997). Available from ERIC, http://eric.ed.gov 427834.