What do cyberbullies have to say?

Here are some pretty honest quotes from people who know they've cyberbullied. Pay close attention to the reasons why they say they cyberbullied.

- 15 year-old boy from undisclosed location: “Well the only reason I bullied is because the same person I was doing it to, did it to me like a week before. It wasn't the right thing to do but at the time it felt like I was getting revenge”

- 15 year-old girl from Canada: ”Sometimes I get insulted for no reason because I said my mind so then I get into a fight and feel good when I convince the person/change their perspective/prove I'm right because it shows I have an impact on people. Once I got into a huge fight because these girls were bullying one of my friends and I tried to tell them to stop resulting in them insulting me very badly but me getting insulting them all the same. They made threats to beat her up, what else could I do? They printed out what I said but not what they said and showed the principal. I got in a lot of trouble but talked my way out of it telling the TRUTH (something THEY didn’t do) and got let off with a warning.”

Have you ever found yourself in a situation when you've thought that writing something bad about a person online was the only thing you could do to protect yourself or a friend?

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What do victims have to say?

- “Someone sent me numerous emails with like two words in the email like ‘your gay’ ‘your dumb’ and that kind of stuff. When I am bullied (which is infrequently) I am called homosexual or gay so I’m used to it but it still hurts." (14 year-old boy from Canada)

- 12 year-old girl from Virginia: “Being bullied makes me feel really bad, and I often get depressed later at home. I would also plot revenge and privately express my 'hatred' towards the bully, but I doubt I would really do anything about it...I don't usually go to adults to 'tattle' on people, even though I know it's not tattling, it's real.”

- 15 year-old girl from New York: “I think most people who bully online just do it to act tough but since they're not saying it to someone's face makes them seem more of a wimp.”

- 14 year-old girl from Canada: “I was online in a chat room and this guy was sexually harassing me by saying stuff to me and wouldn't leave me alone. i had to exit the chat room and my email.”

- 12 year-old girl from Michigan: “The internet is not a place to harass others or hurt them. The internet is supposed to be a place that is safe and fun for people, not a place to be criticized or harassed. I used to be bullied at school frequently and I was sometimes hurt so badly that I had to fake sick at school just so I could go home. One girl actually told me she would come and murder my parents and kill me personally. She made me cry so hard that I threw up. So, I know firsthand what its like to be bullied beyond your imagination.”

- 16 year-old girl from Alabama: “It's one thing when you get made fun of at school, but to be bullied in your own home via your computer is a disgusting thing for someone to do and I think anyone who gets kicks out of it is disgusting. It makes me feel badly about myself. It makes me wonder how people can be so rude and disrespectful of others and makes me lose faith in the human race. It decreases my self esteem and I often wonder what I did to make someone treat me that way.”