NEW YORK, May 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As middle and
high school students spend more time online than ever before, a
survey of New York City-area
teenagers and parents finds cyberbullying is a prevalent issue that
touches a vast majority of area children. The poll of 1,000 parents
and teens in New York City,
Long Island, Westchester and northern New Jersey was conducted by AT&T and the
Tyler Clementi Foundation.
- 48% of teens have experienced cyberbullying.
- 8 in 10 know someone who has been the victim of
cyberbullying. Unlike in-person bullying at school or outside the
home, cyberbullying is happening right under parents' noses.
- A majority of teens (53%) spend at least 3 hours a day
online, with most of this socializing (86%) taking place at
home.
"This first-hand account of what teens are experiencing online
is a powerful wake up call to the pervasiveness of cyberbullying
and its potential damaging effects," said Marissa Shorenstein, New York State President of AT&T. "The
results show that awareness of cyberbullying is high, and more
education is needed to help teens make better online choices. By
better understanding the extent of the issue, AT&T and the
Tyler Clementi Foundation hope to help teens and parents more
safely navigate a connected world."
To help that navigation, AT&T created Digital You last year.
It's a comprehensive program offering tools, tips, apps, guidance
and community education events for people of all ages and levels of
online experience. It provides education about using the Internet
for a positive and safe outcome.
"These stats speak to the staggering problem of cyberbullying,"
said Jane Clementi, founder and
board member of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. "It's outrageous
and simply unacceptable to allow this to continue. Aggressive
behaviors in the electronic world can cause great pain and
destruction to one's spirit. We must instill in our youth the
knowledge that technology is only as good as the people who use
it. It can be a wonderful and useful tool or a weapon of great
harm and destruction, as in the case of many young people today,
including my son Tyler."
In addition to using the poll to raise awareness, AT&T and
the Tyler Clementi Foundation will work with the All American High
School Film Festival to challenge student filmmakers with creating
short films to address the impact of cyberbullying on teens'
lives. Students from around the country will have the
opportunity to shoot, edit and produce a final cut in New York City in time for Cyberbullying
Awareness Month in October. The winning film(s) will be shared with
middle and high schools throughout New
York later this year.
This negative behavior persists even as a vast majority of
parents (78%) say they have spoken with their children about
online dangers and appropriate behaviors. In fact, the poll finds
there is a significant gap between what parents think they know
about their children's experiences online and their actual
experiences. 57% of parents say they believe their children
would tell them if they've been bullied but, in fact, just
33% of teens say they have done so. 43% of teens say
they would be "terrified" if their parents looked at their smart
phones, while nearly half of parents (47%) admit they never
scan their children's devices.
The poll also found parents can do a better job of talking with
their children about online dangers. 1 in 5 parents (21%)
say they have spoken to their children about them only in passing
and not as part of a sit down conversation.
1 in 3 teens say they prefer to socialize online rather
than in-person, even though it may not always occur within a
positive community. Of teens surveyed, 41% describe the
comments their peers post online as mostly mean. Experiences can
differ based on gender, race and where they live.
- Teens are targeted for a variety of reasons on text and social
media, most particularly for being socially awkward (52%),
their clothing choices (43%) and their sexual orientation
(31%).
- Girls are more likely than boys to be subject to degrading or
insulting comments, 58% to 51%.
- Nearly 1 in 3 teens have peers who have been
cyberbullied for their sexual orientation.
- Of those teens who said they were cyberbullied for their sexual
orientation, Hispanic teens were the most likely to be bullied
(42%), followed by African American teens (35%) and
white teens (26%).
- African American teens are twice as likely to confront a bully
(61%), compared to white teens (31%) and Hispanic
teens (33%).
- Hispanic parents are the least likely to talk to their children
about appropriate online behavior (66%), compared to white
parents (80%) and African American parents
(89%).
- Parents in the northern suburbs (87%) reported having
more substantive conversations than City parents (74%).
To view the complete poll results, click here.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
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brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions
around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile,
high-speed Internet and voice services. We're the world's largest
provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin
American countries. We offer the best global coverage of any U.S.
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AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service
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*Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and
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About The Tyler Clementi Foundation
The Tyler Clementi
Foundation, guided by the life and story of Tyler Clementi, works to end online and offline
bullying in schools, workplaces and faith communities. We promote
safe, inclusive and respectful social environments in homes,
schools, campuses, churches and the digital world for vulnerable
youth, LGBT youth and their allies.
Through educational partnerships, research, public dialogues and
awareness programs, the Tyler Clementi Foundation fosters
empathetic, constructive discussions of respect and dignity for
youth and families, at all levels of society.
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SOURCE AT&T Inc.