A webcam used innocently for viewing friends may used to film inappropriate acts for the purpose of bullying. Social networking sites like Instagram and Facebook make cyberbullying easy – personal information is freely posted; leaving children wide open for abusive responses that can have a devastating effect.
Instant messaging helps children to have ‘real-time’ conversations with friends but it also provides an opportunity for abuse. Even participating in a chat room, forum or in online gaming provides opportunities for bullies to use intimidation.
On video hosting sites, an offensive video may be uploaded and go viral. This is what happened to Shelley, a 16-year-old who woke up one day to find that she was the star of a video taken without her knowledge after her drink was spiked at a party.
Identity theft is also possible, with profiles being created for the sole purpose of bullying. Jessie, a 15-year-old, was targeted in this way by a classmate. This girl took photos of Jessie, created a profile with all her personal information, and began making posts in her name. When Jessie found out about it sometime later, the damage was already done. She had to move to another school.
