One Third Teens Too Dumb to Avoid Cyber Bullies

The Pew Internet center just conducted a cyber bullying poll and found out that a third of teens claim that they have been victimized by cyber-bullies.  Such victimization usually entails having personal or embarrassing IM’s or emails published.  To which I have to say…

From CNET here:

One in three teenagers say they’ve been bullied in some way online, but two-thirds of teens still believe they’re more likely to be harassed offline, according to a new study.

The most common form of bullying reported by teens online involves another person publicizing a private e-mail, instant message or text message, according to a study released Wednesday from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Fifteen percent of teens surveyed said that they had experienced the embarrassment of having a private communication posted publicly online or forwarded to a third party.

Other types of harassment include someone spreading a rumor or posting an embarrassing photo on the Web, as well as someone sending a threatening or aggressive e-mail, IM or text message, the report found.

The study casts light on so-called cyberbullying, behavior among teens that child safety advocates believe could be more harmful than the threat of online sexual predators because of its sheer scope. A 2006 teen survey on cyberbullying reported that it affects as many as 13 million teens annually.

So some advocates are saying that spreading a rumor is more harmful than sexual assault?  WTF??!!  That is very far from the truth and this is just a veiled attempt to limit online speech.  While I know that cyber-bullying is a problem, it does not even compare to the breach of trust and real pain associated with sexual predatory behavior.

And cyber-bullying can be so easily avoided if you follow these simple rules-

• Dont send anything online that you would not like to be published to the world.  This includes IM’s, emails and text messages.
• Don’t allow yourself to be in a position where compromising or embarrassing photos could be taken of you.
• Maintain a space online if you can that you alone can control, such as a private domain or web site.  Somewhere you can freely post your own ideas and refute any rumors about you.
• Be honest and genuine with people in real life and limit your online interactions.  Those that know you will understand that rumors are just that, and nothing more.