Mean Girls: Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Self-Esteem in Female AdolescenceChristina HosfordFall 2012Dr. SloneThe University of West Georgia

Cyberbullying & Sexting

Cyberbullying is defined as “being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material or engaging in other forms of social aggression using the Internet or other digital technologies.” (Willard, 2007) The focus of cyberbullying seems to be similar to the focus of face to face bullying. The most common justifications for cyberbullying involve the victim’s appearance and who they dated or became friends with.

Sexting is defined as “sending sexually explicit messages via cell phone or instant messenger.”A

joint study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl suggests that 20% of teens (ages 13-19) and 33% of young adults (ages 20-26) have shared nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves either via text or by posting online. Teen girls are slightly more likely to do this than boys and 11% of the young teen girls (ages 13-16) admitted to sending suggestive photos of themselves. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned pregnancy, 2008)

Girls as Perpetrators and Victims

Research have shown gender differences in regards to cyberbullying victimization and behaviors. Results suggest that females are more often involved in cyberbullying activities both as victims and perpetrators (Snell and Englander, 2010) As girls enter early adolescence they feel social pressure to act in inauthentic ways that do not always support their true thoughts and feelings. According to the Feminist framework, gender is socially constructed within a power hierarchy (i.e., patriarchy) that produces gender inequities in the ways that men and women are treated in this society (Impett, Henson, Schooler, Sorsoli, & Tollman, 2008) Because teenage girls are supposed to seem nice and sweet on the outside, a lot of aggressive behaviors must be done in secret, making bullying through texting the perfect choice of destruction.

Aggression and Teenage Girls

Learning often occurs through social relationships, especially among peers. Socialization of aggression, according to Bandura, is based on operant conditioning. Some behaviors are rewarded if they are considered to be socially acceptable, while other behaviors are punished (Crain, 2011) Teen girls feel a lot of pressure to “fit in” and may feel like cyberbullying and sexting may gain them social status among their peer group.

According to Bandura’s studies of socialization, young adults can be disinhibited from expressing their aggression through the form of cyberbullying after watching shows that highlight crime and aggression. (Crain, 2011) Because cyberbullying and sexting are often anonymous and secretly devastating, negative consequences are often easily eluded, thereby increasing the occurrence for these activities.

MTV’s and AP’s A Thin Line Study

In order to help the widespread digital abuse, MTV and the Associated Press teamed up to conducr

two studies, one in 2009 which interviewed 1, 247 respondents ages, 14-24, and another in 2011. The

2011 study interviewed 631 teens 14-17, and 724 adults ages 18-24. Both studies were randomized, the

first one through surveys sent via air mail, and the second using air mail and through Random-Digit Dial

telephone sampling. The purpose of the study was designed to quantify how young people are affected by

and respond to issues like sexting, digital harassment, and digital dating abuse. (AP-MTV, 2009 & 2011

According to the 2009 MTV study, 76% of 14-24 year olds say that digital abuse is a serious problem for

people their age. More than half (56%) of those surveyed say they have experienced abuse through social

and digital media, up from 50% reported in the 2009 MTV-AP digital abuse survey. Female teens are

more likely to be targeted than their male counterparts- 53% vs. 42% Females (31%) are more likely to

share passwords than males (22%) Those that have shared online passwords, more than half (54%)

were shared with a “close” friend. (AP-MTV, 2009) Digital abuse are not generally the acts of strangers,

but are well known to their victims. (AP-MTV, 2011)Some of the most frequent forms of digital

harassment include: people writing things online that are not true (26%), people writing things online

that are mean (24%) and someone forwarding an IM or message that was intended to stay private (20%

( AP-MTV, 2011)

These findings indicate that that females are more vulnerable than their male counterparts and often know the person who is targeting them. Girls with lower self-esteem often fall victim to peer pressure and share things such as passwords with those that do not always have the girl’s best interest at heart.

In the MediaGossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars revolve around an anonymous cyberbully who delights in scheming and manipulating at the expense of others. The themes of hatred and revenge are explored as humiliating secrets are offered up. The girls must plot and scheme in response to the cyberbully. These shows are a reflection of real life situations that teens face on a daily basis. Secrets can be exposed to hundreds of students at once, leaving the victim devastated. The show Pretty Little Liars is about an cyberbully that seems to know all the girls’ secrets. They are threatened and forced to do things or face dire consequences. . In the following link Emily is being terrorized by the mysterious “A.” . In the following link Emily is being terrorized by an anonymous cyberbully. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-WcE5DchAE&feature=relmfu

Start a DialogueShows like “Gossip Girl” and “Pretty Little Liars” will continue to air, and are not really the cause of cyberbullying, but a reflection of what is already happening among youth today. Sit down with your child and watch an episode and discuss why, how, when, and most importantly, what to do in case cyberbullying happens to your child or students. Remind teens that a bad reputation might not be the only thing to follow them out of high school, but a permanent digital footprint. According to the CosmoGirl poll, 22% of teen girls have posted a nude or semi-nude picture of themselves. 39% of teens have sent sexually suggestive messages. 71% of teen girls and 67% of teen guys who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content say they have sent/posted this content to a boyfriend/girlfriend. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned pregnancy, 2008) Let your teen know that these pictures and messages are not o.k. and are damaging to both the sender and receiver.

Preventing and Stopping Cyberbullying

• Establish that the same social rules apply in the real world as in the virtual world. Teach and model positive values.

• Educate young people about the damage to reputation and self-esteem that cyberbullying can produce.

• Model appropriate technology usage. Sharing passwords is not o.k., even among “close” friends.

• Monitor activity; use on-line filtering and blocking software.

• Look for warning signs (withdrawal, depression, anger, isolation).

• Cultivate a positive home and school environment• Educate others in the community

(Siegel, 2010)

(Siegel,2010)

Preventing and Stopping Sexting

• Teens should ask themselves the following questions:• Was this my idea? • Where will my pictures end up?• What was going on when this picture was taken? • What could happen with the pictures? (AP-MTV, 2011)

• To find out more go to: http://www.athinline.org/facts/sexting

• Parents should ask their teen what are they doing onlineand who are they communicating with. Consider limiting the time spent online. Check what your teen is posting on social sites like Facebook. Finally, parents should set expectations for their teen. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned pregnancy, 2008)

ReferencesAP-MTV. (2011). Executive Summary: 2011 AP-MTV Digital Abuse Study. In A Thin

Line. Retrieved October 16, 2012

AP-MTV. (2009). Executive Summary: 2009 AP-MTV Digital Abuse Study. In A Thin Line. Retrieved October 16, 2012

Crain, W. C. (2011). Theories of development: Concepts and applications. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.

Impett, E. A., Henson, J. M, Schooler, D., Sorsoli, L., & D.A. Toleman (2008). Girl's Relationship Authenticity and Self-Esteem Across Adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 44(3), 722-733.

Matte, C.,N.D. Parenting: Family Technology. About.comhttp://familyinternet.about.com/od/computingsafetyprivacy/a/sexting_what.htm. Retrieved October 17, 2012

Sex and Tech (2008). In The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Retrieved October 21, 2012

Siegel, D. (2010). Cyberbullying and Sexting: Technology Abuses of the 21st Century. Gifted Child Today, 32(2), 14-16. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from ERIC.

Snell, P. A., & Englander, E. K. (2010). Cyberbullying Victimization and Behaviors Among Girls: Applying Research Findings in the Field. Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4), 508-512. Retrieved October 2, 2012 from GALILEO.