Cyberbullying affects girls mos

Being involved in the modern life scourge - either as perpetrators, victims or both - makes them feel less accepted by their peers, while boys are more able to brush it off.

And this has a knock on effect, spilling over into how important they felt school and learning were, the study found.

With boys, just those who had been a bully as well as a victim, had the same negative attitude.

It follows a government survey that found girls are twice as likely to be ‘cyberbullied’, in which youngsters use technology to harass peers, than boys.

Psychologist Dr Lucy Betts, of Nottingham Trent University, said: “With the increasing amount of time they spend using digital technology, young people are at great risk of being involved in cyberbullying - as a victim, bully, or both.

“In the past, bullying experiences were often confined to school and would end with the school day.

“Despite cyberbullying occurring outside the school environment, however, we know that its impact is likely to spill over into school - and this is particularly the case for young women.”

Harmful emails, compromising videos

It can take a variety of forms from leaving harmful emails and texts to spreading unchecked gossip online and share compromising, humiliating or unflattering photos or videos.

Other examples include making harmful or sexually aggressive remarks on social media accounts, setting up fake profiles and breaking into email to send damaging messages.

Previous research has suggested the affects of bullying can last a lifetime, increasing the risk of depression and lowering a person’s quality of life.

The latest study published in the journal Sex Roles said the sending and receiving of offensive, threatening, derogatory and often victimising content on social media is on the rise among young people.

It said cyberbullying can be extremely damaging and cause a great deal of stress for young people given its potential to occur around the clock.

To analyse its effects Dr Betts and colleagues got 345 boys and girls aged 11 to 15 to complete questionnaires about cyberbullying involvement over the last three months.

Perceived acceptance by peers and perception of the importance of school and learning were also measured.

Cyberbullied and unaccepted

The researchers found that females who reported the highest levels of involvement in cyberbullying felt the least accepted.

This perception of their peers then predicted how they felt about school and learning generally.

In terms of males, only boys who had been involved in cyberbullying as both bully and victim felt more negatively about school and learning, the study found.

Females who felt the least accepted felt more negatively about school and learning, while those who felt more accepted were more positive.

The more acceptance girls received from the peers, the more likely they were to shrug off the effects of cyberbullying and enjoy school.

The less likely they were to participate in virtual attacks. This finding contributes to a growing body of evidence about how involvement in cyberbullying undermines young people’s peer relationships.

Dr Betts said: “Our findings highlight that stressors outside the school grounds can have a negative impact on how young women perceive school.

“This is worrying, as previous studies have shown that young people who experience cyberbullying are more likely to avoid school.