1. Cyberbullying and Mental Health
Nannette Funderburk, PhD

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Cyberbullying Video
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3. Cyberbully “Coke Bottle” Story
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What Is Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets.
Cyberbullying can occur through text and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content.
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5. Cyberbullying Tactics
Posting comments or rumors about someone online that are mean, hurtful, or embarrassing.
Threatening to hurt someone or telling them to kill themselves.
Posting a mean or hurtful picture or video.
Pretending to be someone else online in order to solicit or post personal or false information about someone else.
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The Teen Brain
Is not fully mature – Physical size may be at its maximum but full maturity is not.
Maturity in terms of reasoning, impulse control, planning, and prioritizing, does not occur until early to mid 20s.
Even though they act like they are grown and in some cases do and say very mature things, they are not little adults.
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7. Warning Signs a Child is Being Cyberbullied or is Cyberbullying Others
Noticeable increases or decreases in device use, including texting.
A child exhibits emotional responses (laughter, anger, upset) to what is happening on their device.
A child hides their screen or device when others are near, and avoids discussion about what they are doing on their device.
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8. Warning Signs a Child is Being Cyberbullied or is Cyberbullying Others
Social media accounts are shut down or new ones appear.
A child starts to avoid social situations, even those that were enjoyed in the past.
A child becomes withdrawn or depressed, or loses interest in people and activities.
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9. Impact of Cyberbullying
Increased smoking, drinking, or using drugs.
Cyberbullying associated with symptoms of depression, dissociation, and anger.
Bullying is linked to poorer academic performance.
Increased anxiety which could lead to avoidance of environments where bullies are likely to be (school, extracurricular activities)
Mental health disorders - Anxiety Disorders, Depression, PTSD
Bullied teens may abuse substances for the same reason’s that some adults use substances…to cope, to get away from what seems like it won’t go away
Dissociation - Disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity – This does not work well for a person trying to take in, retain, and regurgitate information which means academic performance could suffer.
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10. What NOT To Say to the Bullied Teen
Ignore it
Don’t worry about it
Fight fire with fire (Get even, get revenge)
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What to Do Instead
Here in Chart 3, it is clear that
those with lower resilience – when cyberbullied – decided to do nothing,
whereas those with higher levels of resilience did all of the things that parents and educators want students to do.
We want them to reach out to the school.
We want them to engage in prosocial, healthy responses like blocking, reporting, and deleting –
instead of acting out in antisocial ways or, heaven forbid, doing nothing and just suffering silently.
We want them to know that they have agency and do what they can do to control their online experience and make the situation better.
Based on this finding, it seems that youth-serving professionals can remind kids until they are blue in the face to do all of these positive, constructive things when they are victimized, but unless they have higher levels of resilience, they simply will not.
Improve their resilience, and you improve their ability to respond in a healthy way.
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What to Do Instead
Teach resilience!
Get connected to people, teams, clubs and organizations.
Discuss how change happens in life, and it can be good even if it’s unsettling at first.
Yes, you can advocate for your child, but also teach him or her how to advocate for him or herself. These are not likely the only bullies they will meet inlife.
Getting connected to people, teams, clubs and organisations. Get to know different people, talk with them about what is happening with you, and let them suggest ideas that might help
• Accepting that change is part of life, and is often good. It is unsettling when change first occurs but give it a chance and use it as an opportunity to learn about doing things differently in your life
• Make and achieve realistic goals
• Face your problems. Think about overcoming them and how you can go about it rather than wishing they would go away
• Not giving up. Everyone deals with a crisis from time to time. Work your way through it and slowly it will get easier
• Learn from the bad times. After you’ve gone through a crisis you will have learnt new skills, possibly made new friends and got to know yourself better. Take this knowledge and use it for future reference
• Trust yourself. Develop your skills and instincts and then develop confidence to use them
• Don’t turn molehills into mountains! Sometimes things seem bigger than they are. Break the problem down, talk it through and you may start to feel it is more manageable
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What to do Instead
Support them through this and help them to not give up.
Learn from the bad times. After you’ve gone through a crisis you will have learned new skills.
Review with them what worked and what didn’t
What should you do or not do next time?
Help them to face their problems.
Think through the situation with them.
Help them to see where their fears are getting the best of them and then help them to think through the situation rationally.
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14. What if My Child is the Bully?
Provide a meaningful consequence –
Loss of phone/internet privileges for a specified amount of time.
Make it right
Monitor the situation
If you still need them to be able to have contact for emergencies, flip still work and are cheap.
Specified amount of time – If time is too long it can feel like “What’s the point, I’m never going to get it back anyway. So they stop trying”
Make it right – this may come as an apology, attempting to include someone who was normally excluded
Monitor the situation – Check up on the child’s technology and let them know you’re doing it– Obtain their passwords, do random checks of their phone, check their apps Check with your phone’s service provider on what parental features are available.
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