User:Chia yu liu/Causes&effects of cyber-bullying

Similar to traditional forms of bullying, cyberbullying is often deliberate and relentless, but it can be even more unnerving because of the anonymous nature of the assault. Would‐be cyber‐bullies are able hide their identities by using screen names and well‐hidden internet protocol addresses, leaving the target vulnerable and unsettled. Further, the attacks can be psychologically vicious. For example, students might take sexual pictures (sometimes with consent at a time when the relationship was good, sometimes covertly with cell phone cameras) that later can be dramatically altered and posted on web sites once relationships sour (Harmon, 2004), leaving the target exposed for millions to see. Cyber‐bullies also create bash boards, or online bulletin boards, that invite others to contribute hateful and malicious remarks (Patchin and Hinduja, 2006). Some start text wars, encouraging others to send a relentless flow of messages, which can result in the target receiving numerous cruel messages every day (Sharif, 2006). Advances in technology have made this activity extremely difficult to supervise or detect (Li, 2006), which has emboldened bullies and given them an elevated sense of power and control (Milson and Chu, 2002). The result is that cyberbullying has become the attack mode of choice among young people, who increasingly engage in electronic bullying behavior that threatens and degrades others (Adam, 2001; Blair, 2003; Campbell, 2005; Chu, 2005; Hinduja and Patchin, 2007; Ybarra and Mitchell, 2004).

The unique and difficult features of cyberbullying pose numerous challenges for school leaders. Research has shown that cyberbullying can affect students' ability to learn at school (Devlin, 1997; Shariff and Strong‐Wilson, 2005) and that victims experience a range of emotional effects (Patchin and Hinduja, 2006), so this is not a phenomenon that educators can ignore. Yet, there are jurisdictional questions related to how (and if) school administrators can intervene when the cyberbullying initiates off school grounds (Shariff, 2004; Shariff and Hoff, 2007). Even when the behavior does occur at school or on school‐owned equipment, understanding when the behavior is simple teasing, and when it rises to bullying is difficult for adults, who have typically not had personal experience with this form of attack. Adults may be unaware of the serious nature and potential harm that cyberbullying presents. Moreover, teachers and administrators are unlikely to see the behavior first‐hand, making it more difficult to respond to than traditional forms of face‐to‐face bullying, and many schools lack the resources and expertise to investigate cyber‐incidents. When administrators do attempt to intervene, they may find themselves in conflict with parents of cyber‐bullies, who are sometimes in denial about their child's online activity or quick to endorse their child's rights to engage in such conduct. All of the above factors point to the urgency for more focused research on the prevalence and consequences of cyberbullying in order for teachers and administrators to understand and respond appropriately.(https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/09578230910981107)