Cyberbullying is a situation in which a person is verbally abused or threatened via electronic media, such as social websites, email or text-messaging. The text can include derogatory remarks, insults, threats or harmful rumors. Cyberbullying can have a greater impact than bullying in the real world because what is written on the Internet is almost impossible to erase and can be posted anonymously.
Origins; Cyberbullying emerged as online technology became more accessible to teens. According to the Christian Science Monitor, "After the school shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, many schools began looking at bullying as a serious problem, and some instituted zero-bullying policies. But cyberspace is a new territory, and schools aren't sure how far to extend their jurisdiction." The publication says bullies have evolved with new technology and have moved from "slam books and whisper campaigns to email, websites, chat rooms and text messaging."
Significance According to a study by the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center, one in 17 children ages 10 to 17 had been threatened or harassed online as of 2000. In 2006, a Harris Interactive poll revealed that 43 percent of teens in the United States reported having experienced some form of cyberbullying in the previous year. And in 2008, Mary Muscari, an associate professor at Binghamton University's Decker School of Nursing, noted that "almost half of all teenagers in the United States are affected by cyberbullying."
http://www.ehow.com/about_6643612_history-cyberbullying.html
Origins; Cyberbullying emerged as online technology became more accessible to teens. According to the Christian Science Monitor, "After the school shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, many schools began looking at bullying as a serious problem, and some instituted zero-bullying policies. But cyberspace is a new territory, and schools aren't sure how far to extend their jurisdiction." The publication says bullies have evolved with new technology and have moved from "slam books and whisper campaigns to email, websites, chat rooms and text messaging."
Significance According to a study by the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center, one in 17 children ages 10 to 17 had been threatened or harassed online as of 2000. In 2006, a Harris Interactive poll revealed that 43 percent of teens in the United States reported having experienced some form of cyberbullying in the previous year. And in 2008, Mary Muscari, an associate professor at Binghamton University's Decker School of Nursing, noted that "almost half of all teenagers in the United States are affected by cyberbullying."
http://www.ehow.com/about_6643612_history-cyberbullying.html