Cyberbullies are typically harassers who restrict their abusing, intimidating, or threatening activities to online activities. These situations typically, but not always, don’t compromise physical safety because there usually isn’t a physical threat.
Cell phones, text messaging, email, social networking communities and video games are children’s lifelines to their world. These electronic communications can also be social death for the person who is the target of cyberbullying.
Bullying in the schoolyard or on the internet is about power and control. When children travel around the internet as they do their neighborhood, getting slammed on a website can be just as embarrassing and devastating as getting slammed against a playground wall. Through e-mail, blogs, social networking communities, phones, text messages or video messages, tormentors and bullies can get right into their victims' homes without knocking on the door. Bullies can harass while the target’s parents are in the next room oblivious to the trauma happening. Groups sometimes gang up on one student or child and bombard the target with "flame" e-mails containing gossip, hateful sentiments or even threats; or they can infect the target’s computer or phone. Cyberbullying is a growing problem.
