Half of Teens Admit to Cyber Bullying, Other Abusive Social Media Behavior

A Wayne State University study showed 78 percent of 1,236 students texted at least once a day, and more than half of them texted more than 10 times a day. (Photo via Shutterstock)

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About half of middle- and high school students say they’ve abused social media, whether by bullying their classmates, spreading rumors, stalking their partners, or pressuring others to send sexually suggestive texts or pictures, according to a new study by Wayne State University.

Poco Kernsmith, an associate professor of social work at Wayne State University, told the Detroit Free Press the study reveals that what begins with normal teen jealousy that can, left unchecked, lead to violence in relationships.

And most of teens’ social media activity is unchecked, according to the study results, which showed just 37 percent of parents monitored their children’s online behavior.

More monitoring might improve online behavior, said one of the students interviewed for the study.

“I have a filthy mouth, and I write filthy things, so I would just monitor my mouth more, ‘cause I know my mom would be all over me like hotcakes,” she said.

Kensmith said it’s important for parents to monitor teenagers’ social media networks, and talk with them about their concerns. Teenagers’ brains aren’t fully formed and they have always done “stupid things,” she said, but now have a buffet of electronic tools at their fingertips.

“Their executive functioning doesn’t really completely develop until they’re about 25,” Kensmith told the Free Press. “They have so many hormones flooding through their bodies that making decisions under pressure is really difficult.”

Sometimes those decisions can have serious or even deadly consequences, one student said.

Kameron Franklin, a senior at the Detroit School of Arts and a peer educator for Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan, said a friend with a deformity related to a health condition tried to overdose on stolen pills after she was bullied in a rap video that had been spread online.

Such viral sharing of content intended to hurt someone may not be as isolated as some parents would like to believe, she said

“I think that parents would be surprised to know how deep and serious it is,” Franklin told the Free Press.

Also on Patch:

• 50 Texting/Sexting Terms Your Kids Don’t Want You to Know
• Teen’s Nude Selfie Sets Off 5-Year Nightmare
• Hundreds of Nude Photos Bomb Teen with New Smartphone

The study was based on the responses of 1,236 students in sixth through ninth grades in six high-, moderate- and low-risk schools in the Detroit metro area, as measured by crime and poverty statistics.

The study showed that social media misuse was higher in wealthier districts in low-risk areas (54 percent), likely due to more students having cell phones and other technology devices, than in high-risk schools (46 percent). Other findings included:

• 78 percent texted at least once a day, and 56 percent texted 10 or more times a day;
• 37 percent checked up on a partner using technology;
• 16.3 percent shared private or embarrassing pictures with the intention to hurt someone;
• 12.5 percent had repeatedly sent out unwanted messages to someone.