Nearly half (46%) of US teenagers aged 13 to 17 have experienced online bullying, and a staggering 68% of those targeted report suffering from mental health issues. These statistics paint a concerning picture of the impact online harassment can have on young people’s well-being.
At Key Healthcare, we understand this concern and want to empower parents to support their teenagers’ mental well-being in the face of online harassment. We’ll explore the different forms of online harassment and how they affect teenagers’ mental health. Most importantly, we will provide practical tips and resources to help your child stay safe and healthy online.
Understanding Online Harassment And Its Impact
Online harassment can be defined as the repeated use of information and communication technologies, such as social media, to anger, shame, harm, or scare an individual or group. Technological advancement and increased internet use have made cases of online harassment and cyberbullying skyrocket in the recent past. The Impact of online harassment on teen’s mental health include:
Increased Anxiety and Depression
Online harassment, like persistent cyberbullying or hateful messages, can be a relentless source of stress and fear for teenagers. Imagine constantly receiving mean comments on social media posts, being mocked in online games, or experiencing targeted exclusion from virtual communities. This constant negativity can trigger a fight-or-flight response, leading to heightened anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating.
Furthermore, the emotional strain of online harassment can contribute to feelings of worthlessness and helplessness, potentially leading to depression. Teenagers may withdraw from social activities, lose interest in hobbies, and experience changes in appetite or sleep patterns. These signs should not be ignored and might require professional support.
Low Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
Imagine being bombarded with negativity online, whether it’s cruel comments on photos, targeted rumors, or exclusion from online groups. This constant barrage can erode a teenager’s self-esteem, leaving them questioning their worth and doubting their capabilities.
The constant negativity associated with online harassment can act like a magnifying glass, highlighting perceived flaws and insecurities. This can lead to negative self-talk, where teenagers internalize the negativity and begin to believe the hurtful messages they receive. This cycle can significantly impact their confidence, making them hesitant to try new things, express themselves openly, or form healthy relationships.
Increased Feelings of Isolation and Loneliness
Continuous trolling or even receiving threats causes fear and withdrawal from online spaces. This behavior can create a barrier, making it difficult for teenagers to connect with peers and build meaningful relationships online, which can be especially crucial during this age of social development.
Furthermore, the constant negativity and fear associated with online harassment can lead teenagers to withdraw from offline interactions as well. This social isolation can exacerbate feelings of loneliness and create additional emotional burdens. Addressing these concerns and creating a safe space for teenagers to connect and build healthy online and offline relationships is crucial.
Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm
In the most severe cases, the emotional distress caused by online harassment can manifest in disturbing ways. Constant negativity and cyberbullying can create a sense of hopelessness and despair, leading some teenagers to develop suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harm as a coping mechanism.
Teenagers feel so overwhelmed by online negativity that they lose sight of hope and consider harming themselves as a way to numb the pain. It’s important to note that this is a delicate topic, and if you suspect your teen is struggling with suicidal ideation or self-harm, immediate intervention and professional support are crucial. Remember, you’re not alone, and help is available.
Sleep Disturbances
The emotional toll of online harassment can create challenges for teens to achieve restful sleep. The constant stress and anxiety can make it difficult to quiet the mind, causing them to spend more time awake replaying negative comments in their heads.
This lack of sleep can then worsen anxiety and depression, creating a vicious cycle that can significantly impact a teenager’s well-being. Addressing online harassment and promoting healthy sleep habits can help your teens feel more energized, focused, and better equipped to navigate the challenges of the digital world.
School Difficulties
Cyberbullying and trolling can have a ripple effect, impacting a teenager’s performance and engagement in school. The emotional burden and stress associated with online negativity can make it difficult to focus on schoolwork, leading to a decline in grades and increased difficulty completing assignments.
Teenagers are always anxious and distracted in class, constantly worrying about online interactions or dreading potential negativity. This can affect participation in classroom discussions, hinder learning motivation, and contribute to feelings of isolation from peers. Additionally, sleep disturbances caused by online harassment can exacerbate these challenges, leading to fatigue and difficulty retaining information.
Forms of Online Harassment
Harassment perpetrated on digital platforms can take the following forms:
Cyberstalking
Cyberstalking, a federal offense, is the systematic and repeated use of the internet to intimidate, threaten, or harass someone. It can be advanced through chat rooms, social media, or email. Teenagers should report any cases of cyberstalking to their parents or a trusted adult.
Trolling
Trolling is one of the most common forms of online harassment. Trolls generally make random, unsolicited, and controversial comments on online platforms to provoke their target’s emotions. A common type of trolling is gaslighting, where the perpetrator presents false information or narrative, making their target question their reality.
Doxxing
Doxxing is common in the gaming world. In this type of harassment, the perpetrator publishes the teen’s personal information, such as their phone number or home address, to harass them. Note that doxing attracts legal consequences only if the information released is private.
Impersonation
Online impersonation happens when an internet user uses someone else’s persona or name without consent to intimidate, harm, threaten, or defraud others. It can be charged under infringement on a person’s identity or defamation if it causes reputational damage.
Revenge Porn
Revenge porn happens when a person shares or distributes sexually explicit videos or images (sent in confidence by the other party) without the owner’s consent as revenge. It generally stems from sexting, which you should encourage your teen against.
Message Bombing
This is a type of online harassment where perpetrators send several emails or text messages to an individual to overwhelm them. It is closely related to dogpiling, another form of online harassment where trolls overwhelm internet pages or accounts with negative comments.
Warning Signs of Teenage Online Harassment
Parents and caregivers should look out for the following common signs of online teen harassment:
- Disconnection from family or friends
- Signs of sadness and depression
- An unexplained decline in grades
- Disinterest (unexplained) in school or general life
- Reluctance/Refusal to participate in previously enjoyed activities
- Anger or sadness after being online
- Isolation and mood changes
- Sudden urge to stop using technological devices
- Increased digital life secretiveness
- Unwillingness to discuss online activities or experiences
- Sleeping difficulties
- Sudden antisocial tendencies
- Suicidal ideations
The Link Between Online Harassment and Mental Health Issues
Studies have linked online harassment to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It can also strip victims of their sense of security and self-worth, making them fearful or reluctant to participate in physical and online forums. Additionally, certain forms of cyber harassment, such as revenge porn, can traumatize teenagers.
Practical Tips for Parents and Caregivers
How Parents Can Support Teenagers Who Have Experienced Online Harassment
- Reminding them of your love and support.
- Helping them take a break from the internet or a digital detox.
- Letting them know that it is not their fault.
- Notifying the school or contacting the bully’s parents if they happen to be the teenager’s schoolmate(there is a high chance your child is getting bullied offline too).
- Ensuring they discontinue any communication with the online bully.
- Keeping records of threatening messages, texts, or pictures to serve as evidence.
- Helping them find help by reaching out to us at Key Healthcare.
To prevent future cases of online harassment, parents and caregivers should help their children block and report the bully (most social media platforms have this option), limit access to technology, and participate in the child’s online escapades by knowing the sites they use and monitoring their social media usage.
Talking to Teenagers About Online Harassment and Mental Health
It’s advisable to have regular conversations about mental health and online harassment with your teenager. Here are a few tips that can help:
- Speak openly and remind them of the importance of online etiquette.
- Give them a chance to speak, too. Do not dominate the conversation.
- Sit, listen, and empathize with your child if they tell you they are being harassed online. Do not overreact or openly show anger/ worry since teenagers look up to parents during such occasions.
- Encourage them to pause, review, and rethink before texting, posting, or sending messages.
- Remind them that online privacy is not guaranteed and that any information shared online can easily be made available to everyone.
- Encourage them not to post or share information they may not be willing to share with family members.
- Remind them that anything shared on the internet is permanently engraved.
Steps to Take If a Teenager is Experiencing Online Harassment
Here are a few things you can do once you realize that your child is getting harassed online:
- Direct them to cut communication with the bully.
- Help them step away from the computer or device.
- Reassure them of your love and support.
- Obtain screenshots of the interaction (for evidence purposes).
- Find further help if this continues help.
By help, we mean informing the school or the offender’s parents (if the bully is a schoolmate), enlisting the support of the community or law enforcement (for severe cases), and finding a good therapist to help teenagers cope with the occurrence.
How Residential Treatment Can Help Teenagers with Online Harassment
Residential treatment for teens offers long-term mental health care for teenagers with serious teen mental health issues such as harassment-related trauma, anxiety, or depression. It happens in specialized facilities (residential treatment centers) that provide 24/7 care and support to help teenagers live healthy, productive lives. This type of treatment grants adolescents access to a secure and structured environment to focus on overcoming their mental health conditions and developing the right coping skills.
Our residential treatment program at Key Healthcare uses different therapeutic approaches and techniques to address mental health issues caused by teen technology addiction and activities such as cyberstalking. We also offer peer support to teenagers who have experienced online harassment and help them find the right support groups. Here are a few approaches used in our facilities to help teenagers recover from online harassment:
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy for teens allows teenagers to explore their emotions and understand how thoughts impact their lives. It is administered by licensed counselors.
Group Therapy
Our teen group therapy program allows teens dealing with the harmful effects of online harassment to find a safe and supportive environment to share their experiences and learn from one another.
Nutritional and Exercise Therapy
Teenagers get three daily healthy meals and access to exercise facilities in our centers for improved mental and physical health.
Holistic and Recreation Therapy
We also offer holistic and adventure therapies such as teen art therapy, music production, hiking, and yoga for teens to help them deal with the impacts of online harassment reduce stress, work on their self-esteem, and explore their passions.
Benefits of Residential Treatment for Teenagers
Teenagers can benefit from residential treatment in the following ways:
Minimal Distractions
Residential treatment centers minimize external distractions, allowing teenagers to channel all their effort and attention toward overcoming their psychological distress.
Tailored Treatment Approaches
Instead of a general treatment approach, this type of treatment recognizes that every teenager’s condition is specific and involves different professionals in creating individualized plans for different cases.
Round-the-clock access to Mental Health Professionals and Services
Teenagers in residential treatment centers enjoy direct contact access to therapists, counselors, mental health nurses, and psychiatrists to help them with their mental health conditions.
Access to Educational Resources
Teenagers receive academic support in residential treatment facilities to help them stay on top of their schoolwork. For example, we offer curriculum and credit recovery through Mission Academy School at Key Healthcare.
Types of Treatment Approaches Used in Residential Treatment
At Key Healthcare, we use behavior therapy to treat mental health issues caused by online harassment, dialectical behavior therapy to address emotional regulation and distress tolerance, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing to treat trauma.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
CBT for teens is an evidence-based practice premised on the idea that thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are interconnected; therefore, a change in thought patterns can lead to behavioral change. It is commonly used to treat anxiety, depression, and trauma-common mental health issues resulting from online harassment.
Our Key Healthcare CBT program can help teenagers change their thoughts and behaviors and enjoy better emotion regulation, relationship building, and problem-solving. It also helps reduce teenagers’ negative behavior.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Teenagers harassed online are likely to experience severe psychological distress, which can be managed through teen dialectical behavior therapy. This therapy approach helps teenagers regulate their emotions, develop healthier coping mechanisms, and deal with difficult situations. It believes that two opposing ideas or thoughts can exist simultaneously and that teenagers can learn to accept themselves and change their behavior by accepting such an existence.
Our DBT treatment program at Key Healthcare teaches teenagers mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Dr. Francine Shapiro developed eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in the late 1980s. It helps teenagers access memories of traumatic events or occurrences in specific ways. Our EMDR therapists use guided instructions, eye movement, and other bilateral stimulations to help teenagers process and reprocess traumatic memories of online harassment. This therapy approach can enhance mental strength (through acceptance), improve the brain’s ability to heal and remember, and help reshape traumatic events.
Conclusion
Parenting teenagers may not be a bed of roses, but it is worth every struggle. For children to grow into strong, happy, and mentally stable adults, their mental well-being must be protected and nurtured. You can help your child grow more resilient and safely navigate the internet to avoid and manage the devastating effects of online harassment. Kindly contact us if you need any additional help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Certain types of online harassment, such as doxxing, can put a target on victims, which may lead to physical harm and violence. Extreme cyber harassment cases, such as revenge porn, can also make some victims complete suicide.
Research shows that 46% of teenagers have either been bullied or harassed online, the majority being victims of offensive name-calling and false rumors.
- Teenagers are at a developmental stage where their self-esteem and identity are still forming, making them more vulnerable to the negative impact of online negativity.
- Engaging in risky online behaviors, such as sharing personal information openly or participating in online arguments, can increase the chances of encountering harassment.
- Lack of parental supervision or open communication about online safety can leave teenagers more vulnerable to cyberbullying.
- A school culture with limited anti-bullying policies or high instances of cyberbullying can create a breeding ground for online harassment.
- Teenagers already struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges may be more impacted by the emotional toll of online harassment.
Social media platforms allow online harassment victims to unfriend and block bullies or report their accounts for further action. The platforms also regularly take down posts or content aimed at intimidating or harassing others. However, most people feel that they are not doing enough.
Teenagers can decrease the risk of online harassment by:
- Limiting online availability.
- Limiting the information shared online (encourage your teen not to share personal information online).
- Avoiding online interactions that involve sending compromising personal photos.
- Keeping passwords confidential.
- Watching out for people taking photos in private environments such as locker rooms.
- Using social media platforms responsibly.
- Using the privacy options provided by social media platforms to limit the number of people who can access their content.
- Do not use the same password across different websites.
- Using a virtual private network to protect their IP address.
Yes. Cyberstalking, defined as online actions meant to intimidate, harm, harass, or injure a person, is a punishable federal offense in the United States. Teenagers should also take legal action if they receive true or specific threats of violence or if someone publishes their explicit images or videos without their consent.
A few coping mechanisms available for victims of online harassment include unfriending the bully and blocking/reporting their account, ignoring the perpetrator, and seeking support from friends, teachers, parents, and law enforcement agencies.
Most residential treatment programs last 45-60 days, depending on the severity of a teenager’s mental health condition and their response to treatment.
Peer support recognizes every online harassment victim’s experience and offers them a space to feel accepted and understood. It also lets them connect with others who have undergone and healed from similar experiences.
Even though states have unique licensing requirements, residential treatment professionals such as counselors should have a master’s degree, complete continuing yearly education, and pass the relevant examinations. They must also complete a specific number of supervised clinical experience hours.
The following opinions and beliefs about residential treatment are not accurate:
- Patients are isolated for most of their stay: Residential treatment centers strive to make patients feel at home. Instead of staying in isolated, safe rooms, they enjoy peaceful communal spaces and cozy living quarters.
- Patients are forced to take sedatives: Residential treatment centers do not force medications on patients.
- Teenagers admitted to residential treatment centers do not have a say in their medication management: Teenagers work with medical providers, therapists, support staff, parents, and guardians to develop treatment plans befitting to their needs.
- People in residential treatment centers for online harassment have no freedom: Residential treatment centers allow patients to socialize, watch movies, read, exercise, and engage in other social activities.
Even though residential treatment is the most recommended option for teenagers affected by online harassment, we also offer intensive outpatient and adolescent partial hospitalization programs to help them.
Persistent severe online harassment can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts/ ideations, and suicide attempts in the long run.
Schools should consider monitoring their student’s social media activity for cyberbullying, implement anonymous cyberbullying reporting systems, and pass harsh cyberbullying policies such as expulsion to reduce cases of online harassment among students.
They should also improve emotional and social learning, incorporate cyberbullying prevention into their general anti-bullying program, and offer mental health services to online harassment teenagers.
Online resources for victims of online harassment include stopbullying.gov, cyberbullying.org, dosomething.org, and stompoutbullying.org. Common support groups include the Cybersmile Foundation, HeartMob, Online SOS, and Cyber Civil Rights Initiative.
In residential treatment for online harassment, therapists administer family treatment to teens and their family members to help them learn how to provide the best support and guidance. It also helps teenagers feel more connected with their families and allows them to openly and honestly share their feelings.
Aftercare support helps teenagers adapt to everyday life after leaving residential treatment facilities. Key Healthcare offers outpatient care, counseling, and regular peer meetings after residential treatment. Kindly contact us to learn more about these offerings.
