| Though an extensive amount of research has been conducted on traditional playground bullying, very little (if any) academic research has been conducted on electronic bullying. This study aimed to uncover the nature of electronic bullying (bullying through technological means such as the internet or cellular phones) and identify how it differs from traditional playground bullying. 233 students (grades 9 to 12) completed the Safe School Student Survey (Hymel, Ishiyama, & White, 2003), which inquired about experiences with traditional bullying, and the Electronic Bullying Survey (Stys, 2004), which inquired about experiences with electronic bullying. 39% of participants reported being bullied electronically in the last school year, with the majority occurring through instant messaging and e-mail. Electronic bullying was verbal or relational in nature, and occurred across many types of friendship types. Traditional bullying was found to occur more frequently and with more severity and impact than electronic bullying. Implications of findings are discussed and directions for future research are suggested. |
