The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression

Module 2: The Role of Bullies, Victims, and Witnesses - Page 16 of 18

Using Technology To Bully

a computer with a bully on the screen

Technological advances have created new ways for one child to bully another. Some adolescents use cell phones to bully others. Abusive phone calls can range from silent "breather" calls to swearing, shouting, or making threats.ref Another common form of cell phone bullying is using text (txt) messaging to send threats or abuse. Bullies often find a way to hide their phone numbers from the victim.

Many teenagers use the Internet to create Web logs or "blogs," which are online journals or diaries. Blogs can be easily accessed by anyone on the Internet and are easy to set up and maintain. One survey found that 10 million blogs are expected to be up and running by the end of 2004.ref The vast majority of bloggers are teens and young adults; 90 percent of them are between 13 and 29 years old. Although adolescence is a turbulent time when peer relations dominate, some teenagers use personal information gathered from another person's blog in hurtful ways such as spreading rumors or gossip.ref

In Great Britain, making anonymous, or abusive phone calls or electronic messages is a criminal offense. The definition covers anyone who uses a public telecommunication system:ref

Did You Know?

One survey found that 10 million blogs are expected to be up and running by the end of 2004.

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