Last year, a friend of mine from camp was harassed over the Internet. Her “friends” tormented her online by sending a steady stream of emails and instant messages that threatened or insulted her. This occurred for months, and it became so extreme that she was too distressed even to go to school . . . Soon after I heard her story, I read about Megan Meier, a thirteen-year-old girl who committed suicide after receiving hurtful messages online. It was a similar situation, with more devastating results. Such stories piqued my interest in bullying . . . Researchers identify three types of bullying as traditional bullying: verbal, indirect, and physical bullying. The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter (2005) defines traditional bullying as aggressive or intended harm by one person or a group, generally carried out repeatedly and over time, involving a power imbalance. In the past, there had to be physical interaction for victimization to occur, but with modern technology, bullies can extend their power of aggression onto the Internet. This new form of bullying has been called cyber-bullying…..

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• Social Science