Lots of teens are getting bullied online -- largely at school - but most aren't confiding this to their parents or teachers, according to new research by UCLA psychologists.
The researchers say about 3 in 4 teenagers reported they were bullied online at least once over the a recent 12-month period, though only 1 in 10 let parents or other adults know. Many of the same teens bullied in schoolyards are bullied online, the study found.
"Bullying affects millions of students and is not limited to school grounds," said lead study author Jaana Juvonen (shown here), a professor of psychology and chair of UCLA's developmental psychology program, in a statement. "Bullying on the Internet looks similar to what kids do face-to-face in school. The Internet is not functioning as a separate environment but is connected with the social lives of kids in school. Our findings suggest that especially among heavy users of the Internet, cyber-bullying is a common experience, and the forms of online and in-school bullying are more alike than different."
Pew researchers found last year that about a third of teens were getting bullied online.
Perhaps the most notorious recent case of alleged cyberbullying involved an adult bullying a teen.
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