Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Teenagers respond more directly to cyberbullies, UCF researchers say
A study by UCF and Penn State computer science researchers asked teens ages 13 to 17 to keep a diary of their daily online interactions for two months and found that most of the bullying incidents tended to have little to no effect on the child after a week.
Entries in the study helped measure specific incidents’ effects on a teenager, said UCF computer science assistant professor Paula Wisniewski, who teamed with researchers from Penn State University.
Of the 68 teens in the study, 12 percent said they had been “treated in a hurtful or nasty way online.”
That number went to 9 percent of people who had someone spread a mean rumor online.
At one point during the research, Wisniewski had to notify a parent because a student reported thoughts of suicide because of bullying.
But one surprise Wisniewski found was those being bullied generally responded in a way that dismissed the bullies.
“As a society, we can’t parent based off fears,” she said.
“We need to understand both the benefits and risks associated with our teens engaging with others online to help them navigate risks in a way that they can maximize the benefits.”
Justin Patchin, cofounder of the Cyberbullying Research Center, said the research presented by Wisniewski used too small of a sample to draw conclusions from but that the information could be useful in a larger study.
Research from the Cyberbullying Research Center, which opened in 2002, has shown that the percentage of students who are bullied both online and offline has remained steady.
Educational leaders should target users of social-media platforms and devices to combat cyberbullying, Patchin said.
“We need to focus on the behavior, not the device or application,” Patchin said. “Instead of demonizing social networks, we have to get them the tools they need if they should run into a problem on these sites.”
Teens who do not bounce back quickly should turn to adults for help and support, Winter Park psychologist Melissa Fogle said.
In the meantime, parents should monitor their children’s social media and talk about what their kids encounter online. If that fails, Fogle said professional help might be the answer.
“There really is no escape today,” she said. “Before, this happened on a playground. Now, it can be relentless because they are so accessible. It’s definitely more harmful.”
Elizabeth, who withheld her last name, went from being one of the “popular kids” at her first school to being a new student at a Sanford middle school. That’s when the bullying started.
Tormentors would pin her to a wall and hurl insults, she said. One bully sent her a poem that used nothing but insults about her via text and also in her yearbook.
“People would bully regardless of the platform but with access to the internet, it has gotten worse,” Elizabeth said.
“Now those who are more cowardly can hide behind a screen and hurt others.”
Initially, she would respond to bullies and once took a two-month break from social media.
But as more time has passed, she realized that if she ignores it, it goes away quickly.
Wisniewski said only one person in the study group reported being bullied multiple times in a week.
The group was populated through recruiting efforts through local community centers, libraries, YMCAs and other programs that target young people.
Participants were given up to $75 in gift cards for their participation.
The National Center for Education Statistics in 2015 reported that of those who have been bullied, 9.6 percent were bullied multiple times in a week and 4.2 percent say it happens every day.
The study has been published by the Association of Computer Machining and will be presented at the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, which showcases technology research, in November.
Wisniewski conceded that the study should not be generalized to apply to all teens.
“Our goal was more to understand the online experiences of typical teens on a day-to-day basis,” she said.