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Although cyberbullying happens electronically, it is still bullying, and victims of cyberbullying suffer the same consequences. Furthermore, most students who are cyberbullied are also bullied in person, as well. Below are just some of the effects of victims of bullying and cyberbullying:

 

• Increased use of alcohol and drugs
• Skipping school
• Unwilling to attend school
• Receiving poor grades
• Decreased self-esteem
• Increased health problems

 

With all of these similarities, it is easy to think that cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying are the same thing. However, there are a few differences.

 

First, cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means that when a student is not in school, cyberbullying can still happen. Physical bullying needs to happen face-to-face, so there are times when a student might be able to avoid it. Cyberbullying can happen anytime, day or night, and is often unavoidable.

 

Second, have you heard the phrase “Everything posted online is there forever”? Well, it is true. Once something is posted online, it exists on many different computers. A threatening message or embarrassing picture can be difficult or impossible to remove once it has been sent, shared, or posted. This means that the victims of cyberbullying have to suffer repeatedly from a single post or tweet.

 

Third, cyberbullying can happen anonymously, or without knowing who did it. It is easy for someone to create a fake Twitter handle and begin cyberbullying. This makes victims feel confused and alone, suffering from attacks from seemingly many different people.