A new study has found that children who are victims of cyberbullying may need more support than those who are victims of more traditional schoolyard bullying. Bullying is a large problem, and it impacts a lot of youth in many ways. It can take a toll on their mental health; their well-being and it has caused youth to engage in self-harming behavior. Work is always being done to see how bullying can be stopped, and what resources can be put in place to help those who find themselves being victims of bullying. In the modern world, cyberbullying has become a large issue.
According to Medical Xpress, a study was done to look at the effects of routine exercise on teenagers who are experiencing cyberbullying and schoolyard bullying. This study was done by the University of Vermont, and it can be read in full here.
It is already known that exercise can help to reduce anxiety and improve a person’s mood. Researchers in this study have found that there may be a link between physical activity and a reduction of self-harm behavior in teenagers who are the victims of bullying.
Dr. Jeremy Sibold was the lead researcher for this study and he stated that teenagers who experience cyberbullying may need even more exercise and social support when compared to peers who are victims of the more traditional schoolyard bullying. To complete the study, the researchers looked at data from the 2013 and 2015 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. The survey was asking youth to self-report instances when they have been bullied and how. They were also asked to report on how many days they were physically active for more than one hour per day.
The results showed that more frequent exercise was directly linked with a lower rate of sadness, self-harm thinking, and self-harming attempts in students who were in grades 9 to grade 12. The reason why social media and cyberbullying are considered worse is that there is no escape. When children are bullied in person, at school, or on the playground, they can walk away and go home at the end of the day. Youth who are bullied online don’t always have an escape, as it is not so easy for them to put down their phone or close down their computers.
This study may remind parents that it is important to encourage youth to take a break every now and then and take a nice walk or bike ride.
Sources: Medical Xpress, Wiley Online Library