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| image from GLSEN's "Out Online" report |
Bullying in schools has been a hot topic among media
networks and programs recently. Notably, shows like Glee have been trying to
get the word out that “it gets better” and to try and stifle those who would
try and bring us down. Naturally, with 95% of teens having access to the
internet bullying also occurs online. GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight
Education Network) released a detailed report earlier this month that delves
deep into exactly how much bullying occurs online for LGBT youth.
GLSEN, formed in 1990 has been working tirelessly for 23
years to reduce bullying and make schools safer for LGBT youth. In that period
of time, access to the internet has exploded for teenage youth, with most
having access at school, at home, and now on their smartphones. LGBT teens with
a lack of support at school or at home turn to the internet to find LGBT
friends, and information. In fact, they’re found to spend almost an hour more
per day online than their non-LGBT peers.
This study took place between 2010-2011, and looked at
results from a sample of 5,680 teens aged 13-18.
There have been studies that show bullying and harassment
lower students’ self-esteem, and their success in school with bullied teens
having lower grade point averages than those that don’t report being harassed
in school. GLSEN’s report finds that online bullying is just as detrimental and
has the same effects as in person bullying.
Much of this information likely comes as no surprise
(especially if you have experienced some of this harassment online yourself)
but what I found interesting while reading through the report is that while our
LGBT youth may suffer online bullying, they also are more likely to seek out
health information online than their non-LGBT peers. A staggering 81% reported
searching for health or medical information compared to only 46% non-LGBT teens
searching for this info, and a whopping one in five (19%) LGBT teens
specifically searched for information about HIV/AIDS and STIs. GLSEN mentions
that sex education needs a shift to identify these questions and present this
information to LGBT teens, which is a problem on top of the already low
availability to sex education in some areas.
GLSEN supports the online searches of LGBT youth but also
cautions that not all information online is correct. If you’d like to learn
more about sexual identity, safe sex, or related topics, try some of the
resources listed at the end of the article.
These numbers are a small glimmer of hope that while LGBT
teens may not be presented with the most information in schools or from their
parents, they are at least ahead of their peers in seeking out this information
for themselves, hopefully creating more positive experiences for them later in
life. Many LGBT youth feel more comfortable coming out online than in person
and as many as 14% report coming out first online.
This report also gleams that while we are harassed daily as
LGBT teens, so are our non-LGBT friends. We’re not alone in this, kids are
cruel and it doesn’t just affect our social group. 59% of LGBT youth report
harassment and bullying in person, while 38% of non-LGBT youth also experience
this hardship. GLSEN reports this number as LGBT teens being almost twice as
likely to be bullied, but I’d like to really take a moment to bring the non-LGBT
number to your attention here. 38% of non-LGBT teens report being bullied in
person. That’s almost half! Bullying needs to be addressed not only for our
LGBT community, but also for our youth as a whole. The best way we can do that
is band together and look out for each other regardless of our social groups,
and sexual identities.
If you’d like to read GLSEN’s report (it’s quite lengthy,
about 30 pages of solid info, many more of resources) you can get the PDF here.
Here are the safe, and correct information resources they
suggest for teens in their report:
And if you just need an online LGBT friend, or safe place
online to vent, they recommend TrevorSpace, an online social networking site
for LGBT and questioning youth ages 13 through 24.
Follow @FRW
