Editing Cyberbullying (section)

=== Age ===
Children report negative online behaviors occurring from the second grade. According to research, boys initiate negative online activity earlier than girls. However, by middle school, girls are more likely to engage in cyberbullying than boys.<ref>{{cite news|last1=MacDonald|first1=Gregg|date=September 1, 2010|title=Cyber-bullying defies traditional stereotype: Girls are more likely than boys to engage in this new trend, research suggests|work=Fairfax Times|url=http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/cms/story.php?id=2078|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526084157/http://ww2.fairfaxtimes.com/cms/story.php?id=2078|archive-date=May 26, 2013}}</ref> Whether the bully is male or female, the purpose of childhood bullying is to intentionally embarrass, harass, intimidate, or make threats online.

Studies on the psycho-social effects of cyberspace have begun to monitor the effects cyberbullying may have on the victims. Consequences of cyberbullying are multi-faceted, and affect both online and offline behavior. Research on adolescents reported that changes in the victims' behavior as a result of cyberbullying could potentially be positive. Victims "created a cognitive pattern of bullies, which consequently helped them to recognize aggressive people."<ref name="cyberpsychology.eu">[http://www.cyberpsychology.eu/view.php?cisloclanku=2011121901&article=4 Cyberbullying in Adolescent Victims: Perception and Coping] Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace</ref>

However, the ''Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace'' abstract reports critical impacts in almost all of the respondents, taking the form of lower self-esteem, loneliness, disillusionment, and distrust of people. The more extreme effects included [[self-harm]]. Children have killed each other and committed [[suicide]] after cyberbullying incidents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/what_is_cyberbullying_exactly.html |title=Stop Cyberbullying |publisher=Stop Cyberbullying |date=June 27, 2005 |access-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> Some cases of digital self-harm have been reported in which an individual engages in cyberbullying against themselves, or purposefully and knowingly exposes themselves to cyberbullying.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Topping|first=Alexandra|title=Cyberbullying on social networks spawning form of self-harm|journal=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/06/cyberbullying-social-networks-self-harm|access-date=August 6, 2013|date=August 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Englander|first=Elizabeth|title=Digital Self-Harm: Frequency, Type, Motivations, and Outcomes|journal=MARC Research Reports|date=June 2012|volume=5|url=http://vc.bridgew.edu/marc_reports/5}}</ref>