Poll: Online bullying is a growing problem

Parents and youth agree: Online bullying is a major problem.

Approximately two-thirds of youth say online bullying is a problem for their generation, according to a survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center Public Affairs Research and MTV.

Among 15-26 years olds, 47% say that social media has had a negative effect on their generation. Fifty-three percent of their parents concur, the survey concludes.

Social media, in general, has become a hot topic regarding online bullying but the actual number of youth who say they’ve been bullied is comparatively small.

Afraid to speak out against bullying

Only 7% of youth have come out and reported that they have been victimized by online harrassment.

The survey showed that girls were more likely to be bullied than boys, with eleven percent of girls being bullied versus 3% of boys.

Thirty-one percent of their parents say social media had a negative effect on their more ripened generation.

Seventy-two percent of parents and 67% of their children place major responsibility on social media companies to curb online bullying and sixty-eight percent of parents attribute some responsibility to schools and 66% place some responsibility on law enforcement.

Sixty-one percent of parents also stated that if you see something, you should say something.

Parents also believed that those who witnessed online bullying have an important role in keeping social media safe for the upcoming generations.

The Associated Press-NORC Center Public Affairs Research and MTV poll surveyed 580 young people ages 15-26 and 591 of their parents. The margin of sampling error was +/- 6.6 percentage points for the youth and +/- 7.5 percentage points for their parents.