In A High Tech World Is the Face To Face Bullying More Common Than Cyber?
Despite the fact that we live in such a high tech, social-media obsessed world, surprisingly, face to face bullying is in fact more common than cyber bullying.
A recent study involving 110,100 15 year olds showed that while 30% experience face to face bullying, 2% experienced both and only 1% experienced cyberbullying. A reason for this might be that whilst there are many ways to stop a bully online – blocking them, screenshotting it etc., it isn’t as easy in person; you can’t screenshot it or press the report button in real life. It is more humiliating for the victim if it is done at a school and despite the saying, ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’ it is generally more painful and traumatizing to be punched - especially when names are being called at the same time. If it is face to face then there will probably be peer pressure surrounding it – like the fear of being called a snitch. Finally, face to face bullying might and can be disguised more easily; for example one could be bullied for days but then suddenly treated nicely now and again- so the victim feels confused and wonders if the bully is trying to make up- delaying it being reported to an adult, which is horrible for the victim.
Regardless, bullying is horrible either way – but do you think that there is a worse side to it?