Ed Barley - Forensic Toxicologist

Cyberbullying can take many forms. It can include harassment (insults or threats), spreading rumors, impersonation, outing and trickery (gaining an individual’s trust and then using online media to distribute their secrets) or exclusion.

Cyberbullying can be more pervasive than traditional bullying. While traditional bullying is generally limited to school and home is a reprieve, victims of cyberbullying can be reached anywhere, anytime, and the potential audience is huge.  Studies have also shown that there is a large amount of overlap among traditional bullying and cyberbullying behaviors. 

Cyberbullies feel a lack of remorse and have more behavioral difficulties than children who are not involved in cyberbullying.  

Peebles E. Cyberbullying: Hiding behind the screen. Paediatr Child Health. 2014 Dec;19(10):527-8. doi: 10.1093/pch/19.10.527. PMID: 25587229; PMCID: PMC4276384.

The phrase implies that criticism says more about the critic, or “hater,” than the person being criticized, i.e., that they are making judgments out of jealousy or their own negativity.