Online Bullying Creates Off-Line Fear Among School Students

Cyberbullying is known to have a detrimental effect on school children. A new study found that cyberbullying instills fear among students of  being victimized at school.

Cyberbullying is emerging as a serious problem and a major concern. Cyberbullying causes both psychological and emotional trauma similar to real-life bullying. A recent study by Sam Houston State University found that online bullying creates off-line fear at school.

While traditional bullying is known to create the most fear among students, cyberbullying is a significant factor in fear of victimization at school among students. It was seen that among the minority population, the fear of cyberbullying is extremely prominent.

"It cannot be overstated - online victimization has offline consequences, and those consequences may have a number of negative effects for students, including fear of victimization," said Ryan Randa, assistant professor at Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice.

The finding is based on a survey of more than 3,500 students of ages 12-18 from across the nation. As a part of the study, the students were asked questions about bullying and cyberbullying, including whether any wrong and hurtful information about them was posted online or whether they were insulted or threatened by email, instant messaging, text messaging or online gaming programs. They were also asked whether or not they were being excluded from online friends and buddy list.

The researchers observed that 7 percent of the students in the survey were victims of cyberbullying and 29 percent were victims of traditional bullying.

Cybercrime is any behavior that is done using digital or electronic media by individuals or groups that constantly send out aggressive messages with an intention to harm others.  Cyberbullying is associated with reduced academic performance, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, self-harm and suicidal ideation.

The study was documented in the Security Journal.