It cannot be denied that bullying, like all the other aspects in the universe, is also ever changing and undoubtedly, revolving as well. The face of bullies cannot really be stereotyped in just one persona. There are several faces you can put on bullies, and they almost always have the tendency to evolve. There is, however, a more prevalent face to bullying nowadays: Cyber bullying. This is simply, by definition, the usage of information and communication technology to intentionally and deliberately upset or harass someone. It also includes but is not limited to bullying via mobile phones, blogs, instant messaging, websites, Twitter, message boards, chat rooms, VLEs or virtual learning environments such as Second Life, or even social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.

Cyber bullying may also include blackmail, harassment, repeatedly texting unpleasant messages or images, monitoring or hacking someone’s online activities or accounts, impersonating a person or using their identity online, and even issuing virtual threats.

Other forms of cyber bullying may also include posting or forwarding unpleasant comments or private information about someone, sharing videos of someone being bullied, sending viruses, pretending to be friends to gain information, refusing to acknowledge messages or ignoring the person online, manipulating someone to do something online, and sending sexually explicit messages or photos to deliberately upset someone or cause distress.

One of the cyber bullying facts that is most disturbing is that it is so difficult to contain and control. The thing with the net is that information can spread like wildfire – rapidly, widely, and repeatedly. The thing is, whether it was intentionally designed to be hurtful or not, it can sneakily creep up and dwell into the child’s personal place no matter what they do and no matter where they are.

The disturbing cyberbullying fact is that contrary to what the usual norm is, those who are initiating the bullying can choose to remain anonymous and they don’t even have to be physically superior to their victims anymore. This is particularly dangerous because of the fact that anonymity could be pushed even further compared to if someone is actually physically in your face and their identity is both revealed and compromised.

Perhaps this proves to be a tricky feat to parents given the fact that youngsters are actually more technologically inclined and advanced than they are. Well, the good news is, there are a few steps you can take to ensure your children are not victims of cyber bullying. When online, go ahead and encourage your children to be cyber bullying-proof by encouraging them not to combine real names, ages and provocative words as their email addresses. Sexually suggestive email ads might seem like the norm for teenage girls but it gives away a sort of promiscuous kind of image online. You might not want to include your actual photo with suggestive email ads. These are just baby steps but it will definitely help in avoiding cyber bullying.

By the way, do you want to see more cyber bullying facts like this, and become familiar with this ever growing epidemic?

If so, I suggest you check this out: cyber bullying facts.

Want to learn how you can make a difference? Click here: Articles on Bullying.