Parents need to be aware that Bullying has gone Hi-Tech
The presentation of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation to the P.E.I. legislature's standing committee on social development, March 9, 2006.

View the presentation (PDF - 32kb)

• Usually it is someone the target knows.
• It can, however, be an online stranger that the target has been communicating with in chat rooms or a visitor to the person's weblog. Online bullies will take advantage of those who are lonely and looking for connection online.
• Bullies at school may continue bullying the victim online.
• Sometimes the person who is being victimized by a bully at school will retaliate against the bully online. For example, those who bullies consider "the geeks" may find themselves on the receiving end of computer wizardry where, for example, their email will be broken into, routed to the online bully's email, edited in a damaging way and sent on as normal to the intended recipient. It is certainly less damaging than the revenge that we witnessed in Columbine? Taber, but it is no more justifiable.
• A jilted partner in a relationship breakup can resort to online vengeance.
• Cyberbullying can be those who express hatred toward others because of differences such as race, religion, appearance, obesity or sexual orientation.
• Some Cyberbullying find it entertaining to hurt other people
• Cyberbullying , particular in the throes of revenge or aggression, may not fully realize that what they place on the Internet can be potentially accessed by or forwarded to anyone in the world. They also may not realize what others who are even more devious, for example, a sexual predator, can do with the personal information or photos.

Children who engage in what they may think is a practical joke can find themselves in very deep Internet waters, and there is no turning back. Once the information is out there, it cannot be retrieved or erased. Their practical joking can become outright cyberbullying, and the target's reputation can be damaged.

Cyberbullying can be lurking on the Internet and may not even know their target. They can also engage the involvement of others online whom the target does not know. It can be considered pure entertainment for these people. What can make it worse is victims often do not want to report Cyberbullying to their parents because they are traumatized by it, and they do not want to take the chance of losing their Internet and cell phone privileges.

What is Cyberbullying? ll Who is vulnerable to Cyberbullying?