The face of bullying is changing.
At one point, almost all bullying took place in person. Physical altercations, hurtful comments and even gossip was conducted face-to-face.
But now, according to Media Smarts, nearly all teens have access to the Internet and in a typical month, 42 per cent of them experience cyberbullying, which can be linked to depression and anxiety.
鈥淚nitially, when cyberbullying became an issue, everyone really expected that it was just the same as face-to-face bullying, but now just happening in an online environment,鈥� Jennifer Shapka, associate professor in UBC鈥檚 faculty of education, told Richmond News.
鈥淣ow we鈥檝e really seen that it鈥檚 its own beast.鈥�
Shapka noted that the usual power imbalances present in bullying have shifted online. It鈥檚 not just the physically strong or popular individuals who are capable of bullying anymore. Even an intent to harm may be missing.
鈥淚鈥檝e got research that shows that lots of kids think that what鈥檚 happening online is just joking around. It鈥檚 just teasing,鈥� Shapka said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 also some research coming out that suggests that being cyberbullied can actually be worse than being bullied in a face-to-face setting because you never really escape from it.鈥�
Even the simple fact that these comments and actions happen behind closed doors, rather than face-to-face, makes a difference.
鈥淧eople can get away with what they do through online means quite easily,鈥� said Benjamin Wong, clinical counsellor and specialist in online addictions at Richmond Addiction Services, adding that the Internet has created an 鈥渦nmonitored playground that, by and large, does not follow the rules in the physical world.鈥�
Shapka echoed these thoughts, saying the sender can struggle to have empathy and compassion for the recipient of their messages.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e kind of protected behind the screen. It bolsters you,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 evidence that people will do things behind a screen that they wouldn鈥檛 do in a face-to-face situation.鈥�
Another issue, Shapka pointed out, is the access younger children are having to the Internet.
Snapchat and Instagram are currently some of the most popular social media sites used amongst youth, she said, even though both require users to be at least 13 years old.
Furthermore, according to Media Smarts, 30 per cent of Canadian students in grades four to six have a Facebook account, even though anyone under the age of 13 is barred from using the site.
As a result, while cyberbullying used to really be noticeable amongst teens aged 15 to 18, Shapka said she鈥檚 observed cases of cyberbullying amongst younger age groups.
鈥淎s we know, parents are giving access to devices to kids at younger and younger ages,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e actually really see (cyberbullying) start more like around 11 or 12 and peak around 13.鈥�
In spite of these increases in online bullying, Shapka explained that many youth choose to not tell an adult if it鈥檚 happening to them.聽
鈥淭hey really worry that parents won鈥檛 get it or they鈥檒l have a knee-jerk reaction of just taking the technology away,鈥� she said.
鈥淧arents aren鈥檛 recognizing that it鈥檚 their social life. If they take that away, they鈥檝e taken away a major lifeline to their social world.鈥�
Instead, Shapka said dialogue is key. 鈥淪tart the conversations early, often,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ocial responsibility does need to extend to an online environment.鈥�
Moving ahead, Shapka hopes youth will step up and strive to end cyberbullying in the same way the Pink Shirt Day movement was created.
鈥淜ids have to be involved,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s adults we need to bolster our kids to take leadership, to take responsibility and be the agents of change.鈥�
