Study shows that cyberbullying is growing in Massachusetts

According to the 2010 Emerson Hospital Youth Risk Behavior Survey, nearly 17 percent of high school students reported being threatened, harassed or the target of hostile behavior from others through the Internet in the 12 months prior to the study, reports The Boston Globe.

Experts define cyberbullying as the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others.

Furthermore, approximately 11 percent of sixth-graders and 20 percent of students in eighth grade said that they were threatened online in the 12 months leading up to the study. The study was administered to 8,597 public school students in sixth through 12th grade from eight school districts in Massachusetts.

Boarding schools can help children who suffer from the effects of cyberbullying by promoting an atmosphere that can help them achieve success socially and academically.

According to a survey conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, a total of 7.5 percent of students reported being harassed online.