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Internet Safe Hawaiʻi Info

Cyberbullying

The continuous act of harassment, embarrassment, or intimidation via digital communication device (e.g., computer, cell phone, tablet, etc.) (Patchin & Hinduja, 2006; Willard, 2006).

  • Cyberbullying by gender in 2015 (Friedman, Jaffe, Cono, et al., 2016)
  • Hawaii:
    Female: 17.5%; Male: 11.5%; Total: 14.7%
  • Nationwide:
    Female: 21.7%; Male: 9.7%; Total: 15.5%

Online Predator

An adult Internet user (most often male, 18 years or older) who uses the Internet to target, meet, and seduce vulnerable children or teenagers (Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell, & Ybarra, 2010).

More facts about online predation (Mitchell, Wolak, & Finkelhor, 2008):

  • Cyberbullying by gender in 2015 (Friedman, Jaffe, Cono, et al., 2016)
  • 13% of teens have been solicited online
  • 4% received aggressive online solicitations that threatened to continue offline
  • 998 arrests in the US for Internet crimes against minors since July 2000
  • Online predation is the #1 concern among students, parents, and teachers (Multimedia Juvenile Victimization Study, 2011)

Transmission of Suggestive Material

Sending, receiving, and/or forwarding suggestive messages, photos, videos primarily via cell phones, emails, instant messages (IM), and online social networks (Liebengood & Nguyen, 2012).

Behaviors in Hawaii (Multimedia Juvenile Victimization Study, 2011)

  • Sent: Female: 4.1%; Male: 7.8%
  • Received: Female: 13.4%; Male: 11.5%
  • Forwarded: Female: 2.1%; Male: 4.7%
  • Total: Female: 19.6%; Male: 24%

Behaviors Nationwide (Mitchell, Finkelhor, Jones, & Wolak, 2012)

  • Sent: Female: 8.4%; Male: 12.9%
  • Received: Female: 18.3%; Male: 20.2%
  • Forwarded: Female: 4.4%; Male: 7.2%
  • Total: Female: 31.1%; Male: 40.3%

What can you do to be a safe and responsible user of technology (Multimedia Juvenile Victimization Study, 2011)?

  • Increase your cyber awareness
  • Learn more about digital citizenship
  • Acknowledge that bystanders have the power to speak up
  • Establish school, family, and community partnerships
  • Inform policy makers

References

Friedman, T. R., Jaffe, H. W., Cono, J., et al. (US Department of Health and Human Services/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). (2016). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Surveillance Summaries, 65(6), 1–178.

Liebengood, F. D., & Nguyen, T. T. (2012). Adult and adolescent sexting: Epidemic or exaggeration? In Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the Hawaii Educational Research Association, Honolulu, HI.

Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., Jones, L. M., & Wolak, J. (2012). Prevalence and characteristics of youth sexting: A national study. Pediatrics, 129(1), 13–20.

Mitchell, K. J., Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2008). Are blogs putting youth at risk for online sexual solicitation or harassment? Child Abuse & Neglect, 32, 277–294.

Multimedia Juvenile Victimization Study. (2011). Project funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs FY 09 Recovery Act Internet Crimes Against Children Research Grant 2009-SN-B9-0003.

Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2006). Bullies move beyond the schoolyard: A preliminary look at cyber victimization. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 4(2), 148–169.

Willard, N. (2006). Cyber victimization and cyber threats: Responding to the challenge of online social cruelty, threats, and distress. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from http://cyberbully.org

Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K. J., & Ybarra, M. L. (2010). Online “predators” and their victims: Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment. Psychology of Violence, 1, 13–35.