Citation

Wolke D. Lancet Child Adolesc. Health 2017; 1(1): 2-3.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S2352-4642(17)30020-2

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Until not that long ago, being bullied by others was often considered as a normal rite of passage. The past decade has seen the publication of dozens of prospective studies on being bullied and health problems with follow-up now reaching into adulthood. There is now convincing evidence that being bullied as a child or as an adolescent shows a causal relation to the development of mental health issues, in particular anxiety, depression, and non-suicidal self-injury; suicide attempts; suicide ideation; and general poor health.1 The adverse effects of being bullied are as detrimental or might even exceed those of childhood maltreatment by adults.2

Recent years has seen a flourish of studies looking at cyberbullying, which is defined as bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic devices, such as smart phones, have become so common that nearly 100% of adolescents in high-income countries use them daily,3 often checking their phone hundreds of times and for hours per day. Girls spend more time on devices and on social network sites than do boys. Electronic devices are also used to be mean, attack, exclude, or spread nasty rumours and ridicule. There have been high profile anecdotal reports of suicides after being bullied online. But has cyberbullying reached epidemic proportions and is it now...

Language: en