Top Five Reasons Cyberbullying can be even more painful than face to face bullying.

1. Cyberbullying can be anonymous.  You may be getting threats or harassing messages and have no idea who is sending them to you.  This can cause you to be distrustful of everyone. “I went to school and looked suspiciously at everyone in my grade because I had no idea who was sending me the messages.”

2. Cyberbullying can be seen by thousands of people in a matter of a few minutes.  It can be embarrassing when one person sees something that makes you feel humiliated, but with technology, it’s like putting it up on an interstate billboard for all to see.  You can’t control who sees it.

3.  Cyberbullying invades your personal space.  Before technology, when you got bullied at school, you could go home at the end of the day and at least have a break from it.  Now with the computer and cell phones, it follows you home and affects you 24/7.  Since some kids even sleep with their phones; they can be getting cruel messages all night long.

4.  Cyberbullying is difficult to stop or retrieve.  Once the “send” button is pressed, you lose all control of what was sent.  As people continue to forward the information, it is like being bullied again and again as the message recirculates.

5.  Cyberbullying can be so vicious!  When you don’t have to see or hear your victim’s pain, it is so easy to lash out and say things you would never say to someone face to face.  Hiding behind a computer screen dehumanizes the interaction.