A recent fantastic piece by Leslie Gore of the Wall Street Journal has provided a glimpse into the severity of bullying in today’s time for young people.
The story unveiled the latest cyber-bullying research, which comes out of a poll of 1,000 NYC-area teens and parents (unrelated to each other). The Tyler Clementi Foundation and AT&T conducted the poll. The results of the study demonstrate the considerable need for anti-bullying work in the forms of not only awareness, but hands-on preventative measures such as the #Day1 Campaign.
We now that about half off all young people identify as victims of cyber-bullying, showing that the problem is more rampant than many have thought. The poll revealed:
—48% of teens have experienced cyberbullying.
—8 in 10 know someone who has been the victim of cyberbullying. Unlike in-person bullying at school or outside the home, cyberbullying is happening right under parents’ noses.
–A majority of teens (53%) spend at least 3 hours a day online, with most of this socializing (86%) taking place at home.
“These stats speak to the staggering problem of cyberbullying,” said Jane Clementi. founder and board member of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. “It’s outrageous and simply unacceptable to allow this to continue. Aggressive behaviors in the electronic world can cause great pain and destruction to one’s spirit. We must instill in our youth the knowledge that technology is only as good as the people who use it. It can be a wonderful and useful tool or a weapon of great harm and destruction, as in the case of many young people today, including my son, Tyler.”
More: About Tyler Clementi
This data shows that online bullying and harassment is a tremendous problem in our youth culture. Nearly half of all teens say they have been bullied online. 43% of teens say they would be “terrified” if their parents read their texts.
The latest polling results show the need for the preventative work of the Tyler Clementi Foundation and our programs such as #Day1 and the Tyler Clementi Institute for Cyber Safety at New York Law School. With numerous empowering initiatives and partnerships to promote change, ending bullying in all of its forms is possible. It simply starts with us. We’re determined to make this happen.
“Technology is great, but sadly it can also be a weapon of great destruction,” Ms. Clementi told the Wall Street Journal. “We want to make sure no one else ever feels humiliated or harassed in the electronic world…and try to prevent future tragedies like Tyler’s.”
WATCH: Tyler Clementi Foundation Celebrates Five Years of Activism
To read more on the results from the poll, click here. To find out how you can get involved in the Tyler Clementi Foundation, click here.
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