Teens Cyberbully Themselves As A New Type Of Self-Harm : Shots – Health News : NPR
In a study of nearly 5,600 U.S. youths ages 12 to 17, about 6 percent say they’ve engaged in some sort of digital self-harm. More than half in that subgroup say they’ve bullied themselves this way more than once.
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Inflicting pain is what millions of Americans – particularly adolescents and young adults – do to themselves when they’re stressed.
This is called nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and it most commonly takes the form of cutting or burning the skin. Traditionally, many doctors, therapists, and family members have believed that people engage in NSSI primarily to manipulate others. However, recent research has found that such social factors only motivate a minority of cases and usually represent cries for help rather than coldhearted attempts to exploit caretakers. Although there are many reasons why people engage in this kind of self-injury, the most commonly reported reason is simple, if seemingly odd: to feel better. Several studies support the claim that self-inflicted pain can lead to feeling better.
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Recent research and clinical psychologists now suggest that some adolescents are engaging in a newer form of self-aggression — digital self-harm. They’re anonymously posting mean and derogatory comments about themselves on social media.
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