Cyber Bullying Tough For the Bully and the Bullied

Kids today are bullied via more technical ways than they were 20 years ago. Today kids face bullying from people on social networking sites, via text messages and even personal emails. They still face the day to day bullying in person as well. A new study about this hi-tech bullying reveals the psychological impact is similar on both sides of the bullying spectrum.

A group of researchers from Finland’s Turku University decided to study the health problems this new form of bullying has on kids today. The study was launched after numerous cyber-bullying related suicides. The study surveyed 2,215 kids between the ages of 13 and 16. Researchers questioned the teens about their overall health, their substance usage, their own bullying experience and their feelings about the bullying.

The teens who had been bullied reported they suffered from headaches, were emotionally distressed, experienced abdominal pain, concentration problems and difficulty sleeping. Those that instigated the bullying reported many of the same problems as well as behavioral issues, substance abuse and hyperactivity.

Back in 2007, research indicated that at least 34 percent of teens in the United States had been the victim of cyber bullying. 20 percent admitted to actually being the bully. Cyber bullying violates a teen’s safe haven, leaving them even more distressed because there is relatively nowhere they can go to get away from the bullying. This new form of bullying empowers a bully because they can remain completely anonymous.

The study has been published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.